Stealth Kill
by TCon
Summary: Kuroko Tetsuya is a professional bodyguard assigned to aspiring sportsman, Kagami Taiga, after a seemingly random street assault that left Kagami with an injury, intended to cripple his predominant hand. The only problems are, he needs to do the job in secret - and he must do it in skirt, makeup and hair extensions. KagaKuro Cross-Dressing University AU
1. To Be a Shadow

A/N: This is just an idea I've toyed with and kept for quite sometime, but hadn't posted until now. :-} This story is something I'm writing on the sides, for variety's sake. Another guilty fic. XD As always, I'm writing my OTP KagaKuro~ with some of my other OTP side-pairings. :-D  
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**Stealth Kill**

—

Chapter 1: To Be a Shadow

—

"The target is Kagami Taiga You will be perfect for this job."

Tetsuya idly thumbed the photo clipped to the profile document, gaze feathered through red hair and tan skin, broad shoulders uncovered by a black singlet. An sportsman's body. The scene behind the man was a gym courtyard. He eyed the profile data, and there it was, written there on bold: _Kagami Taiga, Full Scholarship on Basketball in Seidai University. MVP player for Winter Cup Tournament. Interhigh Runner Up Champion. Kantou Tournament Champion._

Impressive, he thought to himself. Already, he found something of a common interest.

He frowned when his gaze went through the following statements: _Recently injured in a street assault, dull force to the left forearm. The offender escaped the scene. Victim claims the offender was wearing a mask, sunglasses and a hooded jacket. Victim claims to have fought back and wounded the offender in self-defence._

_Injury: Clean Bone fracture. Recovery Time: Two months. No side effects present after rehabilitation._

"A random street assault?" He uttered, brows furrowed. However, it was strange that someone would randomly choose a victim with physique like Kagami Taiga's. A rather foolish option.

His boss shook his head. "We initially thought so, but it appears the offender purposely picked body parts deemed as important to athletes. Kagami Taiga have reported, that he had avoided the first attack that was meant to hit his predominant hand. Would a random assault be so specific?"

Tetsuya clenched his jaw tightly, straightened his back, the document lowered and tucked over his lap.

"No."

Tetsuya answered, firmly.

His boss hummed, tapping a black pen on a vinyl folder over his desk, the master copy of the one Tetsuya was holding now.

"His parents think so, as well. They are, unfortunately, very busy and unable to conduct their own research and surveillance, that is where we come in. The clients hire us to watch over their son, not only that, but also to find out if someone planned for the assault. There is a concern that it may be related to their jobs, or it may simply be a case of jealously gone violent. You'll have three months to do this. Longer, if needed." He explained, gaze lowered. His hand flipped over the documents, writing something on an empty underlined space at the bottom of the page.

"The parents' jobs?"

"Kagami Taiga is the grandson of a politician, from his mother's side. His parents work abroad in America, they are quite unavailable at the moment. All three of the family members are very concerned. Kagami Taiga has a bright future for the profession he's aiming for, after all"

A politician's grandson and an aspiring sportsman. The job was rather large scale. "I understand, Akashi-san." Tetsuya nodded briefly, contemplated the idea, and opened his mouth again.

"Is there any special methods you would like me to apply?"

Akashi smiled, he reclined his back and outstretched a hand to pull the top drawer of his desk, fishing out a thin, yellow folder and pushing it towards Tetsuya. The latter gingerly accepted it, but didn't immediately flip it open, thumbing the file and placing it behind Kagami Taiga's profile data.

"You will work with Kise, under disguise. It shouldn't be hard for both of you to pretend to be university students. And, I want you to approach our target, preferably as friends, to hang out with him and follow him everywhere. Basically, be his _shadow_. But don't let him know who you are, his parents have specifically requested for this to be kept a secret. They don't want their son to have more worries after the rehabilitation."

"… Kise and I are 23 years old, Akashi-san. This is a tall order." Tetsuya said, remembering he had never attended a university before. He was a graduate from the National Police Academy. It was a vastly different lifestyle than that of common university student, it was less about partying and writing essays and more about crime investigating and gun firing. For practice, of course.

"I'm sure you'll make it. You and Kise have such youthful features, in fact, I think Kise would rather enjoy the attention from the female students. Besides, I'd like to see _her_ again." A wide smile grew on the redhead's lips, chin dipped on to laced fingers that created a bridge over two propped elbows. One of the red eyes shifted to golden, flashing mischievously.

Tetsuya couldn't help the grimace forming on his own lips. "You have some bad hobby, Akashi-san. I'm sure this is a sexual harassment, I'll sue."

"What are friends for, Tetsuya? We've known each other for almost ten years. There's no need to be embarrassed." The _Other_ Akashi replied him, shrugging his shoulders. Truly, his split personality issue just got _worse_ every year, Kuroko secretly thought.

Other Akashi chuckled, and Tetsuya learned he might have just voiced out his own thoughts.

"My older brother agrees with me, she is simply _enticing_. We both look forward to seeing her, do take pictures when Ryouta is finished, and send them to my phone. Unfortunately, we won't be able to leave the office at this time around. Paperworks to fill in you see — Atsushi and Daiki will be returning in two weeks. I've arranged some new jobs for the others as well." He gestured to a stack of documents that appeared more like a tower than a stack — exaggeration aside.

Tetsuya snorted. "I understand. President Akashi. I will excuse myself, now. Unless you have something else to add?" He said, the folders at his side in one hand and another hand was on the arm of the chair, about to stand up.

"Ah, don't leave yet. I still need to get over some things with you, I'm sure Kise could wait a while more." Akashi smiled politely, his eyes returned to both red eyes.

Tetsuya honestly preferred the older Akashi, at least he wouldn't openly try to tease him into blushing. The Other Akashi liked to play mind games too much. "Of course, Akashi-san." He said with a smile, lowering himself on the chair again.

"I've thought about the strategy. I've explained it to Kise already, because you were still on your previous job last week. It would be better if Kise join the Basketball club, and you, Kuroko, be the manager. Kagami Taiga spends most of his time in the gym, practicing. It's the most plausible excuse to the both of you, to approach him. As for your covers — I've had it arranged." He gestured to the yellow folder in Tetsuya's hold.

Tetsuya glanced over it, fingers tugged the folder from behind the navy blue one in front of it, then he flipped it open. A photo of a bespectacled long-haired girl with pale skin, blue eyes and similar coloured hair, greeted him. Her expression was blank and disinterested. Tetsuya remembered how annoyed he was when Kise took that photo of him. At first it was just for a job, the client had been a budding actress with stalker problems, Tetsuya had to dress up as her friend to accompany her through her busy schedule, until his partner at that time — Aomine, could bag in the stalker.

But apparently, everyone else — especially Akashi — had opinionated how much Tetsuya looked good in drag, and charted the disguise as part of his expertise. Since then he'd have to dress up in female disguise from time to time, because it was effective strategy, especially for female clients — no criminal would have thought the plain, unnoticeable girl next to their target would be a professional bodyguard.

It had actually elevated Tetsuya's own success rates to a higher ground, in no time, he gained several promotions and salary raise. He was now one of the top six private bodyguards in the firm. Even if he hadn't liked dressing like female, it was for the job — to protect their clients and he was a professional. But everyone just _loved_ teasing him about it.

"You're not changing my name?" He said, noticing the alias was still written as _Kuroko Tetsuya_. _Female. Age 20. Majoring in Literature. _Literature? He supposed it was a sound choice.

Akashi shook his head. "There is no need. Nowadays, people have unisex names, it shouldn't be a problem. You may chart it up as something that have bothered you for a long time. Something to deepen your character's personality, make you relatable. Say it was because your father had wanted a son, instead of a daughter. It's sort of a complex for you."

" … just what kind of drama you have been watching, Akashi-san?"

Akashi laughed. It still bothered Tetsuya, the way the redhead laughed. It wasn't normal to be so elegant while laughing. "Anything to make people believe you, _My Lady Tetsuya_." He simply said.

Tetsuya cringed. "Please, just _stop_."

The redhead chuckled.

"I've prepared the papers for you and Kise. You'll be transfer students — next month is the new spring term, it's the perfect timing. You and Kise will pose as childhood friends, so it shouldn't be odd for you to spend a lot of time together. Your parents are good friends and have decided to move to the countryside, so you're living by yourselves. Your apartment is ten minutes walk to the university, you're sharing a flat together as housemates. No romantic entanglements, you're more like siblings, because you were raised together since childhood."

"That is an incredibly detailed background story, Akashi-san." Tetsuya said, impressed.

Akashi nodded, face scrunching in concentration. He seemed deeply serious. "Of course, should you wish for romance to start blooming between two childhood friends, only realising their feelings for each other after they start living together, I wouldn't object — "

"_Alright_. I think that's enough for now, Akashi-san." Tetsuya took back everything he said. This Akashi was just as bad as the other one.

"Please understand this, Akashi-san. I am _not_ having a romantic relationship with Kise-kun. We are _not_ childhood friends. We are only co-workers on a job. Most importantly, _I am a man._" He reminded the redhead, emphasising each word of the last sentence.

"Ah, too bad. I'd love to see how it turns out." Akashi smiled.

Tetsuya sighed, then stood up.

"I think it's time for me to leave, now. Kise-kun is waiting for me. I will see you soon, President. Thank you for the briefing." He bowed politely.

Akashi smiled and waved to him from behind his desk, Tetsuya nodded once more, grabbed the door handle, and left. As he strode out of the President's office, down to the hallways — paused slightly to nod to his assistant — Tetsuya knew, in his mind, that next task would be the most _excruciating_.

—

A few days later, it was time to execute the plan.

In the morning, Tetsuya entered the elevator that opened just as he arrived at a timely manner. Out of all 20 floors, he pressed the fifth — and waited until the elevator gave out a _ding_ to inform of his destination. Kuroko walked out, his cellphone buzzed in his pocket. He paused to fish out the phone and flipped it open, it was a text from Kise. The blonde was already waiting for him at the dressing room, and had kindly informed him, with assortments of various emojis and heart icons, of all the _fashionable_ items he'd prepared to make Tetsuya more _beautiful _thanever before.

Tetsuya shivered involuntarily.

Greatly reluctant, but constantly reminded himself, the sooner he got everything done, the _better_. He remembered how last time, he had to sit for four long, painful hours just for Kise to be satisfied with his female disguise. That man should quit Bodyguarding to be a beauty expert or something, he was simply too good at makeup, hair dressing and even fashion styling. Kise used to want to be a model, if Tetsuya remembered right, but never did become one. Then he went to a beauty school after graduating highschool, how he ended up as a bodyguard was a whole other story on its own.

"Kurokocchi! Are you ready for your _makeover_?" Kise was practically _gushing_ with excitement and joy, when Tetsuya arrived at the scene. His arms spread wide, golden eyes sparkling like a kid with a new toy. He was already dressed up as a regular university student — albeit the fashionable type.

Tetsuya was suddenly depressed.

He let Kise dragged him and pushed him down on a chair, a large three-set vanity mirrors with the edges riddled with lamps, blinded his sight for a few seconds. The dressing table was chock full of makeup and skincare products of various brands. Tetsuya almost chocked in the sweet smell of perfume and powdered makeup, combined. Kise was humming happily, inspecting his hair and face with his hands, practically groping around Tetsuya's head.

"Aah, you have such _beautiful_ skin and hair, Kurokocchi! I'm always looking forward to dressing you up! Did you follow my advice and apply the moisturiser I gave you, everyday? It's a bestseller product. It'll make your skin smooth and plump, like a baby's butt." The blonde said, pinching Tetsuya's cheek as if making a point.

"Please, stop that, Kise-kun. It hurts." Tetsuya said, even more depressed. "And yes, since you have kindly given it to me, and remind me everyday that I must do it for the job. I have been using it everyday." Thankfully, the moisturiser was unscented, so Tetsuya felt less emasculated about it.

Kise was now stroking his cheeks, pleased with himself. "This skin texture is perfect for the makeup. You'll be so _cute_, Kurokocchi. I've prepared all the best stuff for you, courtesy of Akashicchi, of course. He gave me more budget this time." He gushed.

Why wasn't Tetsuya surprised? He felt like they were ganging up on him.

"Just… just get it over with, please, Kise-kun." And maybe while Kise was at it, cut his neck off too.

Kise happily obliged.

"Alright, let's get this started!" He exclaimed, rolling up his sweater sleeves.

Tetsuya had always been patient. It was one of his virtues. Out of all the six top bodyguards in this firm, Tetsuya was the calmest and the most hardworking. He didn't have much presence or intimidation like the others. But he was calm, calculated and he was known to get along with the clients he'd worked with, especially female clients, due to his gentle nature. He was praised often, for his professionalism.

That was why he endured and didn't complain nor rouse a racket when Kise told him to sit for six hours straight, as the blonde installed hair extensions to Tetsuya, because unlike wigs, hair extensions would not move around if Tetsuya was required to do something that needed wild bodily movements, during the disguise.

And then there was the two hours of makeup and nail grooming — which required Kise to call up some of his friends, who worked at beauty salons. Tetsuya had his limbs scrubbed off of filth and dead skin cells, his nails filed and shaped, painted with light blue nail polish and decorative white butterflies. He must admit the nails were cute, at least.

After hair and makeup were finally finished, Kise was ecstatic with the result. Tetsuya was just sore from sitting, unmoved, for six hours.

The weave was straight, with big, soft curls at the ends, icy blue in colour like his natural hair. He had a straight fringe that was just above his eyebrows, delicately framing Tetsuya's face. It was quite long, running to his chest. Kise had applied natural makeup on him, put some false lashes to make Tetsuya's blue eyes appear bigger, more feminine. His eyebrows were reshaped. His lips were pink, in a gradient shade that darkened near the slit of his mouth. Peach coloured blush was applied to his cheeks, and made it look like Tetsuya was constantly flushing like an innocent maiden.

He begrudged this, but Tetsuya did look _good_.

His face was round and small to begin with, and his Adam's apple was never obvious. He had always been slim, could never build up too much muscles, or grow too tall. But to think he'd looked this good in makeup and girls' clothes. Either the gods had a twisted sense of humour, or Tetsuya picked the wrong gender while he was in his mother's womb. Not that he wanted to be a girl, however.

"My masterpiece." Kise breathed out as he put his hand on Tetsuya's shoulder, a hand over his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes.

Tetsuya wanted to _groan_ in frustration, but he kept it inwardly. He had a reputation to uphold.

He entertained the idea of quitting his job — which he never did — when his legs were waxed off just so he could wear _skirts_, nearly screaming but succeeding in keeping it down. He didn't know how real girls could stand such torture routinely. Each time he did this, Tetsuya gained more and more respect for the female population.

Kise dressed him in a conservative white dress, with soft lace trimmings and puffy sleeves that went to his elbows (the type that softened the harsh curves of his shoulders), a billowing skirt that stopped just before his knees. There were ruffles at the front, divided into two lines accompanying a vertical row of transparent buttons, all the way until the waist. There was a delicate line over the waist to accentuate Tetsuya's nonexistent curves.

The fact that he was used to wearing corset and female undergarments with silicone paddings for fake chest, under the dress, to create curves on his masculine body, was depressing enough as it was. Not to mention, the awful, awful black platform shoes and the white knee-high socks with ruffled edges.

"You look so pretty, Kurokocchi. I can't believe you're not a girl." Kise said, staring at him with a strange look.

"Please, don't say anything." Tetsuya said. He brusquely pushed the taller man's mouth away, when the blonde started making kissy faces at him with his hands on Tetsuya's shoulders, about to lean in for a dip.

"Kise-kun, you will remember that I am a man, or I will be forced to remind you with my strength." He warned, fists already balled, one knee bent and the other slid backwards. Tetsuya had a blackbelt, and he wasn't afraid of using it.

Kise reeled back, rubbing his chin and lifting his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry sorry, Kurokocchi, I was just joking!" He grinned, apologetically. "But seriously, you are _really_ pretty. I gotta take some pictures for Akashicchi and the others." Kise swiftly whipped up his iPhone and snapped pictures of Tetsuya, fully dressed with a skirt and posed in battle station mode.

Kise thumbed his phone, tapping his finger pads on the screen. "And … sent! To Murasakibaracchi and Aominecchi too, I don't think they'll receive it until they're back in the country, though."

This was just ridiculous.

"We should … get ready. We're moving into our new apartment today." Tetsuya reminded the blonde, sighing.

"Oh, I already sent the rest of your _wardrobe_ to your new closet, Kurokocchi! Hand-picked by yours truly." Kise grinned, holding up two fingers in a peace sign. "We'll be housemates, yeah? Childhood friends… hmmm do you think we need nicknames?" He asked, crossing his arms, a finger tapping his chin.

"It is plausible reason, I suppose." Tetsuya found himself agreeing to it. They needed to discuss how they would address each other and act as their roles, it needed to be believable, since they knew this mission would go for quite long.

"Hmm, how about I call you Tet-chan, Kurokocchi?" The blonde suggested. "Or maybe, Tetsucchi? Like Aominecchi's Tetsu but with my own twist to it."

" … I will call you Kise-kun, Kise-kun." Tetsuya deadpanned.

Kise looked disappointed. "Aww, you're no fun, _Tetsucchi_."

Tetsuya resisted the urge to facepalm at the absurd nickname — but he'd ruin the makeup and would have to reapply everything again. He shuddered to think of that.

Before they went down to the basement for Kise's car, Tetsuya went to his office to get some of the stuff he wanted to bring along with him. He picked up some documents about the client's schedules and details, some of his own private things, his cellphone then his laptop. Everyone at the firm was already used to his disguise, so they'd greet him along the way — some complimented him. Truthfully, nobody but those five would dare to make fun of Tetsuya openly — mostly because they were old friends. Akashi could do it because he was his boss.

He put everything he needed into a box, but realised he was missing some things. Then he remembered he'd left them in the video room. The skirt, the _hair_ and the platform shoes made it difficult for him to move around with so much stuff, so he put the box on top of his desk and went to the video room, at the other side of the floor. There was nobody when he arrived, he looked around and found the CDs were just next to the LCD TV screen.

Tetsuya piled the plastic CD cases in his arms, fiddling with one of them in one hand. Across the paper cover was the title: _Kagami Taiga's Winter Cup Matches_. Tetsuya had been studying about their client for the necessity of learning his character, in order to approach him. For days, Tetsuya watched every single Basketball match Kagami played in since his first year of highschool, he learned of his signature moves, and watched his losses and wins. He also learned Kagami lived in America, before moving back to Japan for highschool.

He had grown to be quite a big fan of the boy. Each time Kagami played he just seemed to get better, stronger and more _brilliant_. It was truly a joy to watch him dunk the ball into the ring with so much _power_ in it. Kagami Taiga was pure talent, blazing power and blindingly strong charisma. An opposite of Tetsuya. He actually could not wait to see how he played in the flesh. If he remembered correctly, Kagami Taiga should be able to play in official games again after rehabilitation. Tetsuya and Kise would make sure he stayed that way.

Tetsuya tightened his grip on the CD case. _Tetsuya_ would make sure _nobody _could harm Kagami Taiga. Such a talent must not be wasted.

He went out of the video room, entered his office and dumped the CD cases into the box, and sealed the lid with adhesive tape. He lifted the box by the handle and strode out, heading for the elevator.

Kise was waiting for him by the car, a jeep lent to them by the firm, and the blonde helped him load the box at the back. Tetsuya sighed, it was honestly still hard for him to walk with these fashionable shoes girls wore. At least Kise didn't give him high heels. If Tetsuya had to wear something that wasn't as _flat_ as the ground, he'd demand a salary raise. Even climbing into the jeep was a chore for him. Tetsuya buckled himself finally, after he managed to wriggle into the front passenger seat.

Kise was driving today. It was a twenty minutes ride to their new building. It was quite a well off neighbourhood, a residential area near the campus, presumably, there would be plenty of students living in the vicinity as well. The area was quite lively.

—

First day of campus was always the strangest, in Tetsuya's opinion.

There was an open house to promote the university and clubs activities. Decorations, attractions and booths stretched from the front gate all the way into the university's main roads. Kise had wanted to dress him more sexily ("No, Kise-kun, I don't actually have breasts, it won't work." Tetsuya had persuaded the blonde), but Tetsuya opted for a respectable stiff-collared, long-sleeved button up white shirt, brown sweater vest and plaid skirt that ran just before his knees. He discarded the awful platform shoes, but Kise insisted on a pair of creepers instead. At least they weren't as thick, and easier to move around in.

Tetsuya could never tell the difference between platform shoes and creepers; they looked the same to him. He didn't wear makeup as thick as the other day, that one was just a rare special occasion, when Tetsuya would let Kise go nuts with the makeup and the dress — it wasn't for everyday use. For now, he was dressed like a plain, normal twenty year old female student.

The university planted cherry blossoms along the main road of the campus area, which was nice, the pink petals fluttered about the open space. It was very pretty, but the crowd was noisy. Booths were set up along the road, members of various clubs passed up fliers and yelled aloud to gain attention of the new students, persuading them to join their clubs.

As they strode side by side — meanwhile avoided persistent club activists — he noticed the girls were staring at Kise dreamily, and glaring daggers at Tetsuya. The blonde smiled and winked at every single one of them.

Akashi was right. This job was perfect for Kise.

Usually he would be rather invisible right now, but apparently the jealously of the female mass overcame even his own naturally weak presence. For lack of better ideas, Tetsuya kept quiet and moved on. He had a job to do, and would rather focus on it.

Kise leaned down a bit to whisper to him. "Tetsucchi, do you think the Basketball club is doing a booth too? Let's check it out."

Tetsuya nodded. "It should be here somewhere, according to the the Open House map." He rummaged his skirt pocket and brandished a folded flier, he carefully peeled it apart, inspecting the map and its very small letters. "From here, it should be… turn to that corner. The sport clubs' booths should be somewhere near the gym."

It was difficult to manoeuvre themselves through a throng of aggressive club activists, hyperactive new students and confused highschool students. Tetsuya was almost dragged away by the current of the crowd — because he wasn't exactly tall and big — Kise even had to put a hand around his waist so he wouldn't get lost — it was humiliating. Not a good first day for Tetsuya.

They eventually reached the sports clubs booth area, it was farther than they'd expected, off the main road where most of the food booths and noisy attractions were. They went past booths of volley ball club, baseball club, tennis club, swimming club and other sport clubs. Seidai University was well known to be specialised in sports studies, they had extensive facilities to accommodate a variety of sports fields. The facilities were at a national level, to be offered full scholarship by the university was quite the achievement, Tetsuya thought to himself.

His gaze browsed around, and unlike before he spotted a lot of students with sufficient built, many were aspiring sportsmen and athletes, he concluded. Despite hidden by their jackets, they were all quite tall and broad-shouldered. Tetsuya looked around until he saw a familiar head of red, sitting behind a booth at the very end of the line. He felt admiration-tinged excitement bubbling up within him when he spotted Kagami Taiga.

It looked like he was watching over the booth, his back reclined to a chair that looked too small for his large body, arms crossed over his chest and face sullen. There were several people around him, fellow club members, he assumed. Because they were handing out fliers and shouting calls to join the Basketball club. Kagami didn't look he wanted to participate with the effort.

He tugged Kise's sleeve and pulled him down until they were ear-and-mouth level. "Kise-kun, I found the Basketball club booth. The target is there." He pointed at the barely visible booth at the end of the line.

The blonde's face hardened and he looked over to Tetsuya, both nodded. "Alright, let's go Tetsucchi."

They approached the booth. The were five people in total, three behind the table and the other two worked the crowd. The other two were busy explaining things to interested students, so they turned their attention to the rest. There was a short-haired girl Tetsuya assumed to be the manager, a young man with a hard expression and there was Kagami Taiga, playing with his phone disinterestedly.

Kise gave his best smile that usually made girls swoon, as he stepped closer to the booth. "Hello, is this the Basketball club? I'd like to apply." He told them cheerfully, Tetsuya stood by a little behind him, Kise's form blocked the sight of the redhead from this angle.

The short-haired girl looked up, the other boy next to her inspected Kise, eyebrows furrowing deeply. Tetsuya couldn't see how Kagami Taiga reacted.

The girl smiled and handed a registration paper she took from the pile in front of her. "Sure! Welcome! Sign your name and your details here. Are you two new students?" She asked, glancing over to Tetsuya and smiling at him.

"We're transferring here from Kanagawa, actually. We'll be here from this term onwards, pleased to meet you! I'm Kise Ryouta, this is my childhood friend, — come closer, Tetsucchi! She's rather shy." Kise grinned, waved his hand to Tetsuya, gesturing him to come closer. Tetsuya acted reluctant as was his intended character, then stepped closer, Kise's arm went to his back in a welcoming gesture.

When he emerged into full view, from the corners of his eyes, he saw Kagami Taiga had looked up from his phone. Tetsuya cleared his throat and softened his voice when he spoke.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Kuroko." He bowed politely.

"I'm Aida Riko, welcome to our campus." Riko introduced herself, then gestured to the gentlemen on her right.

The other boy nodded briefly at Kise and Tetsuya. "This is Kasamatsu Yukio, our Team Captain — and the redhead idiot over there is our Ace, Kagami Taiga. Oi, Kagami! Stop playing that stupid phone and say hello!" She abruptly changed her behaviour, viciously snapping at the redhead annoyedly.

While Kise was filling up his registration form, Tetsuya glanced over to redhead, a similar excitement nudging at him. Finally, he got to meet Kagami in the flesh —

Kagami was _staring_ at Tetsuya, hard. His red eyes widened, lips parted. His back was no longer reclined, now half-bent, his body lifted from the seat slightly in an odd posture as if he was about to jump off. The phone was tightly gripped, hanging by his side. He had an odd look on his face, as if surprised at something. Tetsuya immediately brought a hand to his face. Did something give his identity away?

"Um, excuse me, is there something on my face? You're staring." Tetsuya asked, wishing he had a mirror for immediate convenience.

Unexpectedly, Kagami Taiga flushed furiously.

He reeled back, face red, arms gesturing wildly as if Tetsuya would suddenly turn into a beast and tear at him. "Uh, I — um, no, I mean there's nothing wrong! You're just — just _so cute_, so I just —_ the fuck am I saying?_" He blabbered almost incoherently, slipping into english and too fast for Tetsuya to comprehend his words.

"Aaand done! Here's the form." Around the same time, Kise was done filling up the form and declared the completion loudly.

"Hm? What's going on?" The blonde looked around, oblivious. The girl, Riko and Captain Kasamatsu were staring at the blushing redhead, blank looks on their faces.

"Uh, yes. Thank you. Tryout is today at 5 P.M., if you're not busy?" Riko finally turned to Kise again, accepting the form and putting it to another pile in a box.

"Sure, me and Tetsucchi are just looking around the campus. You know, checking out the new place so we won't get lost on the first day?" The blonde laughed good-naturedly. "We'll be here until evening, you don't mind waiting, do you Tetsucchi?" Kise turned to him, his face was close to Tetsuya's.

"No, Kise-kun. That sounds great. I'll wait for you during the tryout."

Kagami Taiga's expression turned hard, he stood up and slammed the table, palms spread over the clothed surface, glaring at the blonde. Kise jumped at the sudden noise, whipping his head to the redhead, blinking confusedly. "A — are you two dating!?" Kagami barked the question, voice harsh, his back hulked threateningly.

Kise squeaked and jumped one step backwards. "N — no! We're not! We're just childhood friends and housemates!" He exclaimed, arms crossed over his face protectively.

Tetsuya looked at him, incredulous, how could Kise call himself a professional bodyguard if he got intimidated by a college student so easily?

Kagami's expression visibly softened. "Oh."

His body relaxed, arms withdrawn and hung on his sides, awkwardly standing in place. His face was red, gaze glancing at Tetsuya and off to the horizon, then at Tetsuya again. "Okay, then. Sorry, I yelled." He said, tone muted, a hand scratching the back of his head.

Riko and Kasamatsu once again stared at the redhead, quietly.

The girl turned to them again, expression bemused, then she cleared her throat. "Um, okay … would you like a tour to the gym? Usually it's for new students, but you count, I think. So you'll know where to go to for the tryout — Koganei! Come here!" She shouted at the two members who were handing out fliers.

Another black-haired boy stuck his head up from the crowd at the call, he slipped out of the throng and ran towards them, panting, a stack of papers in his arms. His face reminded Tetsuya of a kitten, for some reasons.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's up, Riko? Hm? New students?" He stood close, in between Kise and Tetsuya, whipping his head at either of them at a time.

"Your shift's almost done. Hyuuga should replace you by now — if he can just answer his phone. He's been gone to the restroom for too long." Riko pulled out her phone and furrowed her eyebrows, maybe there was no new messages on the screen. She turned to Koganei again. "Koganei, show them to the gym. This is Kise and Kuroko, Kise's going for the tryout."

"Roger!" Koganei straightened his posture and saluted. He whipped around to Tetsuya and Kise, grinning widely. "Hello! I'm Koganei Shinji, third year in Social studies. Nice too meet ya!"

"Kise Ryouta, second year, just transferred here this Spring." Kise returned the sentiment with a wide grin.

"Kuroko Tetsuya, same as Kise-kun. I will be studying here, starting this term. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Tetsuya bowed politely.

Koganei stared at Tetsuya, his gaze went up and down curiously, a hand cupped his chin. "Whoa, you have a boyish name but you're really _cute_!" He declared loudly, a light blush scattered on his cheeks.

Tetsuya acted shy. "Thank you, Koganei-senpai."

It apparently had a huge effect on the boy.

"_Oooh_, being called Senpai by a cute girl feels _good_! Yosh, I'll show you around! Follow me!" Koganei gushed, bouncing happily.

They were about to take off, when Tetsuya felt a press on his shoulder. He glanced back and found Kagami was hulking behind him, a hand held his shoulder. From this angle and with his height, the redhead looked as if he was about to assault Tetsuya. On instinct, Tetsuya flinched, slapping the hand away a bit too hard. Kagami looked shocked, his hand hovered in mid-air.

"Oh shit — sorry! I didn't mean to be creepy or anything!" The redhead flustered and paled, babbling on apologising.

Tetsuya and Kise stared at him, the latter's expression turned oddly enlightened.

"No… it's alright. I was just surprised. It was on reflex."

The redhead sighed in relief and regained his composure quickly. "I mean, I just wanna join you guys — um, touring, that is. I'm not good at watching the booth … " He nervously looked over his shoulders at Riko, who seemed annoyed, but gave him an approval with a nod. Kasamatsu looked amused.

Tetsuya observed, fascinated, when the redhead grinned, his fist pumping on his sides.

He turned to Tetsuya, grinning shyly. "Uh yeah, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Kagami Taiga, second year. I major in Sports Nutrition. I'm a Power Forward in the team." He said, thrusting his hand towards him.

Tetsuya tentatively took his hand, the redhead jumped when their hands touched. "Kuroko Tetsuya, second year. Pleased to meet you, I hope we'll get along." He gave his best smile, tilting his head to one side for a greater effect.

The redhead blushed. "Th — that's a nice name. Um, Kuroko. Can I call you Kuroko?" He asked, a hand brushed over the hair near his temples.

"Of course, Kagami-kun."

The redhead grin grew wider, eyes turned into slits.

"Right! Can I, uh, walk next to you?" Kagami asked, looking nervous.

"I don't mind." Tetsuya said.

While Koganei and Kise were chatting away about the campus, Tetsuya walked side by side with Kagami, and talked about Basketball. They had a lot of common interest when it came to the sport, Tetsuya had always been a fan since childhood and Kagami knew a lot about American NBA games, the conversation was very engaging. When Tetsuya told the redhead that he had watched his games many times and that Tetsuya was a fan, the redhead had flushed as deep as his hair colour, and thanked Tetsuya shyly.

Tetsuya had thought Kagami Taiga would be more difficult to handle, being a star player and grandson of a politician, but he was such a sweet, nice kid. The way he smiled as they chatted was endearing. He took an immediate liking to Kagami, as a person.

The gym itself was near the booth area, there were a total of five buildings for sports activities alone. Koganei showed them to the one they used for Basketball practice, Gym Five, it was currently empty but would be occupied later for the tryouts. Tetsuya had stared, mesmerised, at the interior of the building, it was big and well maintained, they had audience seats on the second floor for practice matches with other universities.

"Do you like it?" Kagami had asked, looking at Tetsuya instead of the gym interior. He was used to it, Tetsuya was sure. Kise and Koganei were fooling around with the Basketballs on the other side of the room.

"Yes. It's very impressive, Kagami-kun. I'd love to watch you play here." Tetsuya had sincerely said, smiling at the redhead. The latter had grinned and blushed adorably.

The tour ended a while later, Koganei and Kagami were called by Riko to help out with some things, presumably about the booth again. Kagami had looked dispirited when he had to leave, he asked if he'd see Tetsuya again later. Tetsuya had been surprised but flattered, they had gotten along so well, he was sure they could become good friends. Not only because of his job, but also because Tetsuya genuinely liked Kagami Taiga as a person, and as a Basketball player. He'd said yes, and the redhead looked pleased.

Tetsuya and Kise were still at the entrance of Gym Five, when the college kids left the scene, Kagami had waved to him and Tetsuya waved back. When Tetsuya got to know the redhead, he was really friendly. He was unaware that Kise had been staring at Tetsuya and Kagami all the while, with a knowing smile spread over his features.

Tetsuya looked back at him, his gaze narrowed in suspicion. The blonde only ever displayed such a look when he had a bad idea he was about to perform — like the first time Kise decided to dress up Tetsuya in drag, and turned his career upside down.

"You know, Tetsucchi, I could be wrong, but uh," He started, grinning wickedly. "I could've sworn the target has a pretty bad _crush_ on you."

Tetsuya nearly tripped over his creepers.

—

TBC.

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A/N: I really don't know how I'm going with this. xD


	2. To Be a Professional

A/N: The first chapter leaned a little more to the humorous side, I must admit. Let's have some crime and plot for next times! (and maybe more dorky Kagami?) xD I feel like I will start doing long chapters again once I get into the story, please bear with me. I'm actually missing college again, to be honest. HAHAHA. This story brings up fond memories, while I'm writing. :-}

Unfortunately, this story won't be getting regular updates since I still have **Beastly Call** as ongoing series, once that is over, I will start updating **Stealth Kill** more regularly! As of now, this story is something of an occasional rest in between writing for the former. :-}

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**Stealth Kill**

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Chapter 2: To Be a Professional

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Tetsuya admitted, that during a cover, sometimes men became attracted to him. The rare chances that such things happened, it inevitably made things a whole lot more difficult for him, and awkward. Very awkward.

He shook his head, attempting to calm down the sudden headache, pounding away into his head.

"This is not the time too fool around, Kise-kun. We're here for a job." He sipped the vanilla milkshake, pink lips mark remained on the tip of the straw when he detached his mouth. The chilly drink soothed the pound in his head somewhat. "Are you listening, Kise-kun? I am not acknowledging this. I refuse to."

"Suit yourself, Tetsucchi." The blonde shrugged, scooping up a sizeable spoonful of caramel ice cream and shoving it into his mouth. "But you know you can't change the fact he's interested in you — well, the _girl_ Tetsucchi that is." Kise pointed his spoon at Tetsuya, waggling it lightly.

Tetsuya sighed.

"Kise-kun, please, Kagami-kun is _nineteen_. I am twenty three years old and a _man_, who is assigned to protect him because it's my job as a bodyguard. Nothing more, nothing less." Tetsuya whispered harshly, jabbing the straw down his shake unglamorously. The fact that the heels of his feet were aching from nearly tripping over the creepers, didn't help his current mood.

They were sitting at the campus cafe because his feet had swelled up torturously, from walking too much in the brand new pair of creepers. Its leather was still stiff and sharp to wear. He'd chafed the skin over the ankles, and he would very much preferred five laps around the campus, than to suffer _this_.

"But you like him, Tetsucchi. I mean, at least he's not _underage_." Kise said it like it was a casual fact. He ate another spoonful of vanilla ice cream with a slice of strawberry on top, from a tall glass of ice cream parfait in front of him, relishing it with delight.

Tetsuya shook his head firmly. "I am a fan of his play, and I think he's a nice kid. I'd love to be friends with him. It helps to understand the client, to deepen the interpersonal relationship. It's part of the job, and personally I think it's better to want to assist him from my own free will. So, to answer your question, yes, I like him. But not in a romantic sense, Kise-kun."

"Well, Tetsucchi, I admire your devotion to the job, that's for sure." Kise laughed. A group of girls went past their table, giggling and tossing flirty glances at the blonde. Kise responded with smiles and winks. That was already the umpteenth group of girls they'd crossed today.

Kise turned to Tetsuya, grinning widely. "This place is totally my game! So many cute girls here. And boy, those athletic types, _so hot_ … " He ogled at a group of female Volleyball club doing laps around the vicinity, wearing tiny tank tops and shorts.

Tetsuya sighed and rubbed his temples. The blonde was getting too comfortable, too fast.

"Kise-kun, I think we are done here. Let's go, we've been away long enough. We'll have to watch over Kagami-kun. Just because it's crowded, doesn't mean there's no chance something would happen." He delicately pushed the sleeve of his shirt and checked the wristwatch, 04:05 P.M., a little bit early to go. Kise hadn't finished his parfait yet.

"Tetsucchi, just chill for a bit. There hasn't been any attack since the last time, right? He's healed up and his friends are around, I'm sure it'll be fine." Kise casually scooped up another spoonful of strawberry ice cream, offering it towards Tetsuya. The latter was reluctant to accept, but the cream started dripping to the table so he leaned forward and took it. They still needed to act as their roles.

Tetsuya frowned then. He put his Vanilla shake on the table, already empty with a layer of white foam clinging onto the interior of the glass. "That may be true, but I'm worried that we have to do this job in secrecy. It bothers me that I may not watch over my client, at all times."

This was what happened after years into the profession, Bodyguards developed keen observational skills and strong needs to be in control of the situation. This was the first time, as a personal bodyguard, Tetsuya had a job that required him to watch from the sidelines instead of close proximity, as the latter was his speciality, knowing a stranger might be planning to harm Kagami Taiga again. Kagami had fully recovered from his injury, would they attempt to harm him again? He couldn't help but to be concerned about this.

"Kise-kun, I'm going. I cannot wait any longer." Tetsuya decided, standing up. He grabbed his purse and slung it over his shoulder.

Kise sputtered, pink coloured cream mixed with saliva dripped from his chin. He fumbled to get some tissue and grabbed his own leather sling bag, all the while. Tetsuya already pushed his chair against the table, after he got off. "Kuro — Tetsucchi, wait for me! _Dammit_! Oh wait, it didn't get to my shirt, thank god! It's _Armani_ … "

" … Kise-kun, you may call or text me if you need me. I'll be looking around the campus, for a bit."

He strode away and left the fumbling blonde, eager to search for his client. Or he at least attempted to, because the more he walked in these shoes, the more he felt the skin peeling off of his ankles. But he'd bared with it and soldiered on, stubbornly convincing himself that compared to what he'd gone through for his job as a personal bodyguard, _surely_ heel-chaffing was _nothing _compared to that.

Yes, the sharp sting was nothing. It didn't hurt. It didn't make Tetsuya want to shove his feet into a barrel of freezing, numbing ice, and then violently throw these creepers down the nearest thrash burner, watching them burn into crisps with a sort of twisted, maddened glee.

After about twenty minutes of excruciating endurance, Tetsuya staggered to reach the stairway towards the Theatre building, settling himself to sit on the lower rows. His feet was aching with a burning sting. He winced when he removed the shoes, finding the skins on his ankles had chafed, split and bled a bit. The pads of his soles swelled, ballooned up like air pillows, stung with a dull ache. Tetsuya groaned, long and pained, when he realised he'd no idea where he was, effectively lost on his way in the giant campus area.

He knew he should've brought along the maps he'd studied, but Kise had insisted they didn't need it — they could've asked around for directions. With his feet like this, how the heck would Tetsuya even able to walk, normally? Just his luck, there were barely people around the Theatre area, as the main attraction of the day was around the sports and culture campus, while the fine arts and performing arts attractions would be in the next two days, after the History and Sciences' campus fairs.

He could see the nearest crowd in a distance. Should he bear with it and go? Tetsuya had no choice, maybe after some more rest —

"_Kuroko!_"

Tetsuya turned his head when he heard his name being called; taken by surprise when he saw a familiar redhead was breaking into a small run towards him, hand waving widely. He watched, wide-eyed, when he recognised Kagami. The redhead was now wearing Seidai Basketball team's jersey jacket and track pants, presumably for club practice. Another similarly dressed black-haired boy stood not too far from him.

"Kagami-kun? Why are you here?" He said, when Kagami stopped in front of him, grinning.

"Hey! I saw you when we're in the area. What's up? Where's your friend?" He'd asked, his gaze straying around, finding no blonde nearby. Then he looked at Tetsuya again, looking more pleased, for some reasons.

"Ah yes, I was separated from Kise-kun, and um, I got lost…" His gaze shifted momentarily down at his nude feet, a little of the blood had dripped slightly onto the pavement. He tried to cover it up, but Kagami had knelt in front of him, eyes locked onto his feet.

"Is that blood? Are you hurt!?" The redhead exclaimed, his hands outstretched, hovering over Tetsuya's feet, uncertain. Tetsuya realised because he was currently a girl, Kagami was reluctant to touch him again without permission.

Tetsuya shook his head, blushing a bit because he'd been caught in such an situation. How embarrassing, a professional bodyguard like him, immobilised due to wearing the wrong shoes. How could he possibly protect Kagami this way? It even sounded ridiculous to himself.

"No, Kagami-kun, I just chafed my ankles with the new shoes. It might be um, worse than I thought." He admitted, ashamed.

Kagami's expression scrunched up with concern. He looked over to his shoulders, and Tetsuya noticed his friend had moved closer, mere steps away from where they were. Tetsuya observed the boy; he was quite tall, although not as tall as Kagami. He had short black hair and was wearing black-rimmed glasses. He had a sharp look on his face, as he looked back at Tetsuya.

"Hyuuga-senpai, sorry, but could you go ahead? I'll catch up later." Kagami told him.

The boy named Hyuuga didn't reply immediately, instead, he looked up and down at Tetsuya. A smirk made its way over his lips.

"Oh, is this _the girl_, Kagami? The one who made the infamous Kagami Taiga _fluster_?" He teased, the smirk widened when the redhead flushed a vibrant pink in response.

Kagami stood up abruptly then whipped around so fast Tetsuya thought he'd tripped on his limbs — but he didn't. "Aww, geez! What the hell have you been hearing!? Go away now! — no, I mean, _please_ leave me alone senpai. I - I said I'll catch up later for the tryouts!"

Tetsuya couldn't see much from this angle, but he saw the flush had reached the tips of Kagami's ears, his arms were making wild gesture from beyond his massively broad back.

Hyuuga snickered, looking deeply amused. "Suit yourself, Kagami. Just don't be late for the tryouts. You need to show your face for the new kids, or you'll have me, Captain and Coach, to answer to."

He could see Kagami's actually shuddered at the warning.

"G - got it, Vice-Captain." He straightened his back and answered, firmly.

"Hmph. Good." He peeked his head and glanced briefly at Tetsuya, before turning around to the redhead again. "I'll give you extra ten minutes. Not a minute longer, you hear?"

"Yes, Vice-Captain!"

What was that all about? Tetsuya wanted to ask, as Kagami turned to him again, dropping to his knees. His hands went to reach for his feet, stopping before Kagami could touch him.

"Um, can I? I - I swear I'm not doing weird stuff. I'm just gonna check the wounds." Kagami said, looking up at Tetsuya, but immediately ducking down when their eyes meeting. His cheeks blossomed in a light flush.

For some reasons, his behaviour made Tetsuya blush a bit too.

"Yes, Kagami-kun, go ahead." He found himself saying, without thinking ahead.

He shivered slightly when Kagami's fingers touched his feet, cold at first but warming up fairly quickly. Despite his big hands and long fingers, the way the redhead touched him was so delicate and gentle, that it surprised Tetsuya. He'd thought being huge and intimidating, the redhead would be more … rough. The pads of his fingers were hard and the palms calloused, stroking and turning his ankles carefully.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya tried to keep his skirt down with both hands, even though he was wearing a nude-coloured short tights under the skirt for extra safety, he'd be mortified if anyone saw it. He should've worn longer skirt, damn Kise and his less-than-decent wardrobe choices, half of them had been short skirts, shorts and only occasional long jeans. He had to remind himself to purchase something more proper, later. Sneakers and track pants would be good, he was growing uncomfortable whenever he saw men ogling his legs. Disturbing.

The redhead didn't realise his predicament, eyebrows furrowed and gaze focused on his bleeding ankle. "This is pretty bad," He heard him say. "you should stop wearing those shoes, Kuroko. Let's go to the health room for first aid kit. We should get these cleaned and treated."

"I'm sorry for this, Kagami-kun. I should've worn socks or other shoes, but Kise-kun insisted…" Tetsuya had said, embarrassed.

The redhead suddenly stiffened, looking up at Tetsuya. His face hardened, in contrast to his hands, which delicately held Tetsuya's right foot.

"You… dressed up for him?" He asked, tone oddly subdued.

He realised he might have let slip something he shouldn't have. Tetsuya quickly regained himself, speaking out to cover his mistake.

"Ah, it's just — Kise-kun and I are friends, and he's always checked my clothes coordination for me since we were young … he always has an eye for fashion trends." Kise had been in charge of his disguises since the beginning, as Tetsuya knew next to nothing of girly things he needed, to make his cover convincing. And the blonde, well, he was pretty much an expert.

It appeared that he was able to convince Kagami. The redhead beamed at him, grinning. "Oh. Is — is that so?" He said. "I personally think you don't have to wear something uncomfortable for you, Kuroko. I think you'll look c - c - c - cu - cu - cute in anything." The redhead flushed crimson, he looked away, seemingly developing a keen interest in the empty pavement.

Oh God, this wasn't happening. Tetsuya didn't think what Kagami said offended him. That was a first. He couldn't feel offended when the redhead has said it so genuinely, unlike the others, who'd said it to tease him.

"Thank you, Kagami-kun. I'm flattered…" He couldn't help but say.

"Y - your welcome!" The redhead was still blushing so adorably. "We should - we should go to the clinic, there's one near the gym. F - for when we get injured during practice, or something. Y'know how it is." He said, needlessly explaining the obvious usage of a clinic. It didn't bother Tetsuya, for some reasons.

Kagami let go of his feet gently, then turned around, until his back was in clear view for Tetsuya. He leaned forward, arms on his sides and leaning to the back of his waist. Kagami's head rolled back, looking over his shoulders, offering his back to Tetsuya.

"Your feet hurt, right? You can climb up, I'll carry you." The redhead offered without hesitation.

Tetsuya felt greatly reluctant, embarrassed and slightly relieved at the same time. His male pride was torn with the thought of being helped by someone he was supposed to take care of, all because of those damned creepers. Not to mention the crowd of strangers who would watch them along the way, pointing and whispering and _giggling_. Oh no, that was too much, even for him.

"Kagami-kun… you don't need to do so much for me…" He attempted to refuse him gently, shy.

The redhead wasn't having it this time, though. "Come on, Kuroko. I'm not gonna make you walk all the way there with those shoes on, it's pretty far. Your feet are swollen too, you'll make it worse."

Tetsuya chewed his lips, Kagami made a really compelling case.

He could've abandoned the shoes, but the soles of his feet had swelled, making it awkward for him to walk barefooted, even worse with the icy and solid pavements, in this sort of weather. It would be preferable not to walk at all, if he could help it. The fact that he was currently under the disguise of a female, might have been the final push to consider a yes to the offer. Still, he was hesitant.

"If you're embarrassed, I'll take a shortcut. There're fewer people there, I promise. Is that okay?" Kagami had said, as if reading his thoughts.

He didn't know what made him yielded, his abused feet or the fact that Kagami Taiga, who he'd admired as a Basketball player, had kindly offered him help.

Honestly, his butt and feet were starting to freeze, Kagami's back in front of him seemed to radiate heat like a furnace, warm and inviting. His mind tingled with a sense of relief, that he might not have to suffer anymore of the pain that the shoes brought him.

But he came to a belated realisation. " … I'm wearing a skirt."

He realised being carried meant he could potentially expose himself, in the most humiliating way possible. If he'd known this would happen, he'd worn jeans instead. This just couldn't get any worse. _Dammit_. It was so painfully inefficient, wearing girls' outfits. So many things to worry about, including the unintended exposure of his ass. It was either that, or his chafing, bleeding ankles and swollen feet.

"Oh, _right_." Kagami stood up and stripped off his Seidai jersey jacket quickly, turning and handing it to Tetsuya. He had a black shirt underneath. "Use this and tie it around your waist, should be enough to cover up, I think."

Tetsuya blinked and accepted the jacket gratefully, muttering a thank you and wearing it around his waist. The jacket was long and big, it covered the bottom part of his body until just above his ankles. The fabric itself was thick and heavy, surely wouldn't flap around without much effort.

He pushed himself up and winced, the pads of his soles numbed with discomfort. The swelling throbbed with a dull sort of ache, and the surface of the pavement felt cold against it. He took the creepers with one hand — pinched the pair with his fingers, slung his bag over his head then moved tentatively towards Kagami. The palms of his hands brushed against the solid, broad back. Heat started spreading from where he touched Kagami, mindlessly moving up his hands to his shoulders. It was comforting, somehow.

He leaned closer until his front laid flush against Kagami's back, his hands clutched the blades of his shoulders, and his legs slipped into the gaps between his elbows and the sides of his torso. Kagami immediately cinched a tight hold around his thighs, hands clutched and supported Tetsuya's weight behind his knees, giving a short buck upwards to settle him more securely on his back. He slowly rose up, his biceps strained with the grip.

With all of his 57 kilograms worth of weight, Tetsuya wasn't exactly light, but the redhead managed to effortlessly lift him and his own weight. He vaguely remembered Kagami's impressive stats; 198 cm in height, 92 kg in weight, all muscular built and towering height. Compared to Tetsuya, whose growth stopped at his second year of highschool at 168 cm in height, he must've been a breeze for Kagami.

"Are you okay? Does it feel uncomfortable?" Kagami had considerately asked.

Tetsuya checked whether there was something wrong, but didn't find anything worth troubleshooting. His backside was properly covered, and he didn't feel like he was slipping off. "No, Kagami-kun, I'm alright. Thank you for asking."

"That's good. Uh, sorry this is the first time I've carried a girl on my back, so it might feel a bit weird for you." Kagami said. Tetsuya noticed his ears and neck were flushed red, radiating heat. "Wait, I carried my teacher once. But that doesn't count, I mean she's _old_." He corrected himself, looking embarrassed.

Tetsuya chuckled. "Is that so? Kagami-kun, you're very kind to help me like this."

The redhead's body radiated even more heat. "N — no prob. Let's go, we gotta treat your feet, quickly."

True to his words, Kagami purposely picked ways that strayed from the crowded main roads, opting for small paths that cut through wooded areas, barely passing anyone as they walked through the path. The redhead explained to him, that these paths were used by the sports clubs for jogging, as the main roads usually held some sort of activities at least once a week, not to mention, it was meant for vehicles to ride into the campus. Thus had too much distractions and unnecessary obstructions. At this time around, the clubs were busy attending to the festivities to do their usual practice routines, so few people crossed the way.

Kagami kept talking about the campus, Tetsuya listened and replied when necessary. Somehow the conversation slipped to Basketball again, something both of them had in common the most. The redhead told him he was required to attend the tryouts and the booth, despite him not being good at communicating with new people, solely because his reputation was needed to attract new students for the team. He was pretty much the face of the current Seidai Basketball club, even though Kagami just wanted to play Basketball again, instead of sitting around looking pretty on a display.

"Kagami-kun, you recently recovered from an injury, correct? You must miss playing Basketball." Tetsuya had sympathised. It must've taken a toll on him, since Kagami even had to skip the Spring Tournament due to his injury.

"Yeah, I wanna play. I've been put on hold from official games for months. Coach's been helping me out with strength training, but it's not really the same y'know? I wanna play with the team, together. I thought I can play again immediately, but, I need to wait 'til tournament seasons roll in. We'll have practice games and usual trainings, in the mean time."

Kagami had sounded sad and dispirited. Tetsuya found that he disliked looking at the player he admired, feeling down.

"I'd love to see you play, Kagami-kun. I've enjoyed watching the matches you played in. Especially the match with Rakuzan during the Winter Cup, against the three Uncrowned Generals. You were still in your first year of high school, if I remember correctly. It was very inspiring." He sincerely encouraged the redhead.

He would love to see Kagami blasting dunks into the rings, all raw power and talent with that intense look in his eyes when he focused, his entire body and mind dedicated to play Basketball. The scene moved Tetsuya every time, without fail. He wanted to protect Kagami, even more than he did before. To harm such amazing player, it was an unforgivable sin, in Tetsuya's eyes.

" … you're the first girl who's ever paid that much attention to my plays." Kagami said, voice muted. "I mean, there're the Coach and my teacher, but — you're different."

"Really? I'd rather thought you must have a lot of fans, Kagami-kun, even the girls."

He remembered the considerable amount of female crowd screaming for the redhead on the sidelines, from the videos. Some of which even made banners and boards for Kagami, his name written down in sparkling glitters that shone in the spotlight, enough to blind the enemy's supporters with its obnoxious energy. That was a rather effective strategy, Tetsuya had to admit.

"Yeah, but most of them don't even get Basketball. I can't talk to them — they're noisy, too." He heard the redhead said. "They pay attention to me because I'm the star player, no more than that."

"But Kagami-kun, you're handsome. Surely, that is another reason why they're attracted to you."

Kagami had suddenly stopped on his track, looking over his shoulders with a bright flush scattering over his cheeks. "Y — you think I'm handsome?"

"I — I thought that is rather obvious." For some reasons, Tetsuya had fumbled his words when Kagami had grinned widely at him, happy.

They chatted more, the atmosphere between them warmed up, sometimes still awkward, yet it was pleasant to Tetsuya. It was as if they'd been friends for years, the way they chatted about so many things about Basketball. Tetsuya wondered, if they'd been the same age, would they be good friends? Tetsuya was a lot quieter when he was younger, he wondered what kind of scenario in which he and Kagami became friends, perhaps bonding over Basketball as well? He'd always loved the sport since childhood, even though he wasn't particularly good at playing it.

They reached Gym 5 a few minutes later, the clinic was inside the building. Tetsuya checked his watch, the digital clock showed him 4:57 P.M., and he had warned the redhead about it. The tryout was scheduled at 5:00 P.M., although Kagami dismissed it as something trivial. He did get an extra ten minutes with Hyuuga's permission.

Tetsuya felt embarrassed, because the area of the gym had more people around; students who were going for Basketball club's tryouts. Kagami's imposing and towering form, his strong charismatic presence and his easily recognisable face made them look all the more conspicuous. Oh how Tetsuya wanted to turn invisible right at that moment, but all he could do was hide his face behind the redhead's back, hoping nobody would recognise him.

"Tetsucchi!?"

Tetsuya's head perked up when he heard Kise's voice, turning towards the source. Kise was standing by the gate of the court, then he broke into a run towards their direction, stopping just before Kagami. It was somewhat odd to look down at Kise, seeing the top of his head from such a height. Kagami easily towered over the blonde, he noticed.

"Tetsucchi, I've been looking for you! Where have you been?" The blonde pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. He had changed clothes into shirt and shorts, and he was wearing sneakers, presumably for the Basketball tryout. "And uh, why is Kagami carrying you?" He asked in a whisper, eying the redhead in question.

Tetsuya was about to answer the blonde, when Kagami had spoke first, beating him to it.

"She's like this because of you. Her feet are hurting, how could you leave her alone like that?" The redhead's tone was cold and hard, sliding into an irritated gruff. Tetsuya could feel the tension on his shoulders, the muscles on his shoulder blades were stiffened solid.

The blonde staggered backwards by a step, intimidated. Eyes widened and face twisted in surprise, at Kagami's unfriendly behaviour. "Huh? What do you mean — _oh no_, Tetsucchi, your beautiful feet! They are red and chafed!" His gaze fell on Tetsuya's feet, which were swollen, the ankles were red with the abrasions.

Just when Kise approached him and was going to hold his feet, Kagami shifted his body around and prevented the blonde from touching Tetsuya, on purpose. Kise blinked, his hands hovered in the air, mid-halting, not quite sure what was going on. Even Tetsuya didn't understand why Kagami had acted hostilely towards the blonde, it wasn't as if Kise had caused this on purpose.

"I'll bring her to the clinic. You go for the tryout." Kagami told Kise, not exactly in a friendly tone, more demanding.

Tetsuya attempted to dissuade the awkward situation. "Um, Kise-kun, I'll go with Kagami-kun for now. You should go for the tryout." He said, hoping his colleague would get the idea and back off. The client becoming hostile towards the bodyguard, was not something preferable in long term. He still needed Kise for this mission.

Kise looked like he understood the implication. "Oh. Okay. Tetsucchi, I'll see you later? We'll go home together."

Tetsuya nodded. "Yes, Kise-kun. I'll see you."

The blonde glanced at him, winking meaningfully, before leaving for the court. Tetsuya really didn't want to know what Kise had meant with the unnecessary winking.

Kagami brought him to the clinic, about two minutes later. There was nobody around, presumably the facility was self-serving, more like a health room than a clinic. Maybe the doctor would be called if something more critical than a few scratches happened. The redhead lowered him onto the bed, carefully. When Tetsuya's skirt fluttered upwards and exposed more of his pale thighs, Kagami had blushed furiously and apologised, averting his gaze and stumbling on his way towards the medicine rack.

Tetsuya straightened the skirt, he pushed away Kise's claims that Kagami was interested in him, romantically. How absurd. It was the first day of their meeting, this was no more than a fleeting physical attraction, he was sure it would go away eventually as it always did. Tetsuya decided not to take it too seriously. Kise was too fond of teasing him.

The redhead came back with a box of First Aid Kit in hand. He sat on a chair by the bedside, prompting Tetsuya to lean his feet onto his lap, asking for his permission to touch him first. Tetsuya had okay'ed everything and let Kagami tended to his ankles, cleaning it with rubbing alcohol and gently putting antiseptics over the split skin. Although he was opposed to it at the beginning.

"Kagami-kun, you don't have to do this. I can do it myself." Tetsuya had told the redhead, but Kagami had insisted on doing it for him.

"It's okay, it's hard to reach your feet like this right? It's quicker if I do it for you." Was what Kagami reasoned with.

"Well, that may be true, but I feel bad." He'd tried to say, but the redhead only laughed.

"It's okay, it's no big deal. I'm used to this — got scraped a lot during practice. Bruises, too."

It was true that Kagami was good at tending to the scratches. The process only lasted for around five to eight minutes. He immaculately cleaned, tended and bandaged his ankles, finishing it off, by attaching some cooling pads for his swollen feet. After everything's done, he moved Tetsuya's legs onto the mattress. Remembering he had to attend to the tryout games, Kagami checked his wristwatch. The tryout must have started a few minutes ago, now that Tetsuya realised it.

"I have to go now, Kuroko. Coach's gonna have my hide if I don't go." The redhead informed him, smiling.

"Ah, Kagami-kun, your jacket — " Tetsuya had taken it off, hand outstretched towards the redhead, the jersey jacket in hold.

Kagami stared at it, and took it from him. But instead of taking it with him, he draped his jacket over Tetsuya's frame. "I - it's cold today. You can give it back later." The redhead had grinned toothily at him and flushed hot red, scratching the back of his head. The jacket was too big on Tetsuya, and smelled like Kagami, warm. For some reasons, it made him blush a bit.

"Okay, um, I'll see you later, Ku - Kuroko." Kagami had flustered, face still red, then he mechanically walked over towards the door. He waved stiffly to Tetsuya, earning the latter's polite smile, before leaving.

Just a short moment after Kagami left, Kise peeked in. The blonde gingerly entered the health room and took in the sight of Tetsuya, sitting on the bed with feet bandaged up and wearing Kagami's oversized jacket. He whistled, seemingly impressed. Tetsuya suddenly had a bad feeling, the way the blonde looked at him, a wicked grin on his face.

"Oh _wow_. He really has it _bad_ for you, Tetsucchi." Kise exclaimed, sitting on the chair Kagami had sat on previously, and crossing his legs.

He didn't know why, but Tetsuya was feeling tired. "Kise-kun, not this again… Kagami-kun was just being kind. He felt sorry for me — because of those shoes you gave me." He said, glaring accusingly at the blonde. "Besides, don't you have a tryout to attend to, Kise-kun?"

"I already did, and I killed it! You shoulda seen it, Tetsucchi." The blonde grinned. "But _no_, instead you were having an affair with Kagamicchi! _Not fair._ And I was looking all over for you, too."

So the blonde had started calling Kagami with his obnoxious nicknaming habit.

"You know I don't need you babysitting me, Kise-kun. However, from today onwards, I will wear sneakers and flats. No more thick soles. No more fancy shoes. I need to be mobile at any moment. With my feet swollen and ankles bleeding, I shall be very angry, if I am unable to protect Kagami-kun because of such ridiculous excuses."

"Hmmm. Sure. I know some sneaker brands that match the current trends, designed specially for active girls like you, Tetsucchi." Kise tapped a finger to his lips, smirking. He was sweaty from the Basketball tryout, his shirt damp at several parts of his body, so he wasn't lying when he said he was done with the tryout.

"In fact, I may be able to find something that suits that new jacket of yours, Tetsucchi." He'd said, winking and waggling his eyebrows.

Tetsuya stiffened.

"This - this isn't mine. I'll give it back to Kagami-kun later, he's just lending it to me."

"You know, Tetsucchi. All you've been talking about is 'Kagami-kun this' and 'Kagami-kun that', ever since you two met. You do realise that, right?"

He chewed his lips, unable to rebut any of Kise's claim.

—

By the end of the day, Kise was safely accepted into the team. He'd passed the test and impressed the Coaches — who, turned out to be Aida Riko and her father. Tetsuya was surprised, he hadn't known the blonde was good at Basketball, even though Kise claimed he had only ever played casually before.

Kise had lent his shoes and socks to Tetsuya, which were too big for him, but it was better than walking around barefooted. Kagami Taiga didn't seem very happy to welcome Kise into the team, even less pleased when he saw the blonde stuck to Tetsuya's side all the time, supporting him by the waist due to his aching feet and staggering steps. He was glaring at Kise, as the latter introduced him to the Coach. Tetsuya had voiced out his interest in joining the club as a manager.

The coaches and Captain Kasamatsu had discussed it briefly, then told him that he had to fill up some forms and could start as soon as possible. Tetsuya tried to return Kagami's jacket, but the redhead refused, he said the evening was cold and Tetsuya could borrow until the next time they met. Kise had secretly snickered behind him, giving him weird, knowing looks. It was annoying.

After they arrived home, however, Tetsuya was struck with a nagging feeling of anxiety.

Kagami lived in the dormitory within the university. Meanwhile, Kuroko and Kise's apartment was outside of the Seidai University area itself, which meant he couldn't possibly watch over Kagami during the nights. It disturbed him greatly, how could he know if someone would attempt to harm Kagami in the dorms? Worse, if it was planned while the redhead was asleep and vulnerable.

Tetsuya couldn't help but to worry, and worry. He'd always worked in close proximity with his clients before, accompanied them at day and slept under the same roof at night, so if anything should happen he could rush in to check. The fact that he couldn't do even that, it endlessly concerned him. Just as he was worrying over it, Kise announced there was an envelop in the mailbox. Odd, because they just moved in a few days ago, the only one who knew their current address was Akashi. They checked the recipient and found out that indeed, it was an envelop from Akashi addressed to Tetsuya.

"Another mission brief?" The blonde had commented, turning around the large envelop in his hand.

"I don't know Kise-kun, I guess we have to open it first." Tetsuya eyed the envelop, wary.

Kise gave him his flip knife, and Tetsuya tore open the envelop by the top, fingers snaking into the gap to reach for the contents. There were papers — documents, which he pulled out to inspect, his eyes widened when he found out the contents, the first page was a profile data. A small photo was clipped at the top right of the document, a familiar boy with black hair and blue eyes, pale skin, looking at Tetsuya absently, disinterested.

"So this is what Akashi-san meant, to be a _shadow_." He read the name; _Ogiwara Shiro. 18 years old. Freshman. Majoring in Literature._ Another alias. A photo of himself taken under a different disguise, a male identity. But of course, Akashi was flawless, when it came to his job. He would never allow a loophole in the mission.

There was two letters attached to the documents. One was for Tetsuya, and another was addressed to Kise. He opened his own and read the lavender-scented letter.

_My dear Lady Tetsuya,_

_This identity will be the shadow to your blinding light. Unfortunately, he is not even a fragment as attractive as your lovely female persona. But alas, the necessity stands. An ordinary boy, Shiro-kun is sickly and gloomy. He is without presence and almost invisible, yet a perfect shadow, to guard the tiger during the darkness of the nights. I trust your ability to carry this mission well, My Lady. Ever the vigilant guardian, you are._

_Your Dearest Emperor,_

_Akashi Seijuurou_

He had a feeling the Other Akashi had slipped the letter in without the original one knowing. It sounded too suspicious. Also, creepy.

The rest of the documents were the details of his new persona, as well as application documents about Seidai university's dormitory, he was listed to move in as a new student, within the week. Quite right, he was assigned to be Kagami Taiga's roommate. The university had a tradition of rooming freshmen with sophomores, for the necessity of socialising, thus the changes with his new identity's age. He needed to act even younger than he was, this would be a little bit tricky. But this identity shouldn't be too hard to do; a quiet personality and unnoticeable.

It was the best disguise for Tetsuya.

"Well, that's how it is. I suspect I must move soon, it's already evening." Tetsuya had commented.

It was written down on the dorm papers, that the curfew was 9 P.M., and it was nearly 7 P.M., he needed to get rid of the makeup and girl disguise, then prepared to bring the stuff needed to move into the dorm. Clothes, mostly. Toiletries, phone and wallet. He shouldn't bring too much personal things, in case Kagami or someone else in the dorm happen to discover them. He could leave them in the apartment.

Kise was already standing by, his large makeup box in hands. However, he looked depressed and sad, hugging his makeup box and weeping crocodile tears. "It kills me to see my masterpiece be deconstructed into such a shady character, Tetsucchi. But I'll do it 'cos Akashicchi told me to." Kise wailed, clearly unwilling.

On contrary, Tetsuya _couldn't wait_ to be normal again. Sure, he still had to act as Ogiwara Shiro, but this identity was way better than wearing girls' clothes. Finally, a break from the corsets and hair extensions and makeup and fake silicone boobs. At last, _freedom!_

With great reluctance, Kise took off his hair extensions, makeup and clothes. It had taken about two hours to remove the hair extensions and the makeup, much less time needed to remove them compared to putting them on. His head felt much lighter without all those extra hair — such a relief. Even though tomorrow he'd have it installed again, Tetsuya could've cared less. One could not imagine the discomfort of having to sleep with those extensions on! No he didn't need to anymore, starting tonight. The thought brought a wide smile to his face.

The disguise didn't need any fancy additions, other than the fact that he had to wear a black wig. As to console Kise's depression, Tetsuya let the blonde styled his wig the way he wanted. Kise cut down a supposedly long female wig into a shorter version, letting the fringe slightly longer, almost covering Tetsuya's blue eyes, for an appearance of a gloomy person. Without the hair, makeup and curvy figure, he looked like a totally different person. The jeans and baggy sweatshirt did wonders to his apparent unattractiveness. Tetsuya was very pleased.

By the end of it, Kise was in tears — but Tetsuya was inwardly celebrating, too happy to care.

It was almost time for curfew, he practically bolted into his bedroom, stuffed his large suitcase with his male clothes and necessary supplies, then stepped into the living room to say good bye to the depressed blonde, perhaps a little too energetically when he did so.

It took him fifteen minutes of taxi ride to arrive at the entrance of the dormitory, a large housing building painted in earthy red and designed in western style. He immediately went to the dorm administration office, near the entrance, papers in hand while his other hand dragged the suitcase with him. The caretaker took his documents and checked them. A while later everything was declared clear, and Tetsuya would be shown into his new room by the dorm leader. Although he had to wait in the waiting room until his escort arrived.

The dorm leader turned out to be Kasamatsu Yukio, the Basketball team Captain, he was accompanied by a tall bespectacled man who was taller than him.

"You're the new kid? I'm Kasamatsu Yukio, the dorm leader. This is Imayoshi Shoichi, my second-in-command." He briefly introduced the man next to him, who smiled at him. Tetsuya stood and bowed politely.

"Ogiwara Shiro, freshman. I will be a bother from now on." He said, in a fairly quiet voice. A deeper tone than what he used in his female disguise.

Kasamatsu didn't immediately reply, looking up and down at him, arms crossing over his chest. "Hmmm, did we meet somewhere before? You look familiar."

That made Tetsuya a teensy bit anxious. "No, I don't believe so. This is the first time I meet you, Kasamatsu-senpai."

Kasamatsu's stare lingered a little longer than necessary, before he shrugged, deciding it wasn't important enough — much to his relief. The boy was quite sharp. "Right. I'll accompany you to your room. Come with me, I'll show you around. Let's go, Imayoshi."

Not only was he the Basketball team Captain, but he was also the Dorm Leader, Kasamatsu must be very capable in juggling in between his duties, Tetsuya thought. Imayoshi seemed quiet at first, later on he started asking Tetsuya questions as they walked together. He was actually quite friendly — although he gave off a certain strange impression. Tetsuya tried to act as disinterested and shy as possible, as his intended character, alternating between vague answers and briefly informative replies.

"Oh so you're from Hokkaido? That's pretty far. What makes you move into Tokyo?" Imayoshi asked him, as Kasamatsu led them past the security door with a key card in hand.

"My parents moved to Tokyo for work when I was in third year of high school. They went back to Hokkaido recently. They thought I should enter the dorm instead of following them around. Learn how to be independent, as they put it." Tetsuya told him, the personal information of his disguise was being fabricated in his mind, as he went along. He would think of the rest later on.

"It's still pretty early in the semester, so it's rather empty here. Most of the guys are still at home. Usually, it'll get too damn noisy a week before classes start — I need to discipline the kids every now and then, especially the second years. They got too much free time in their hands. Us, Fourth Years are busy, we'll be graduating next year, after all. I'll tell you the rules later — unwritten ones. You know the curfew already, also, no bringing girls here." Kasamatsu explained, as they went past rows of doors with golden numbers hung onto them.

Tetsuya nodded. He might need to ask questions himself, it would appear more natural that way. "If I may ask, what kind of person is my roommate?" Even if he already knew the answer.

Kasamatsu snorted. "Kagami Taiga, second year. Our Ace in Basketball team. He's not too much of a problem. He behaves better than most of the frat boys here. Doesn't drink nor smoke, doesn't go to parties. He's really dedicated to Basketball. He may just bore you."

"Yukio, did you just describe yourself, or was it really Kagami?" Imayoshi had said, chuckling amusedly. Kasamatsu sharply shushed him.

Tetsuya secretly smiled to himself. Kagami really was as he'd pictured; his entire self was dedicated to Basketball, such a rare display of devotion.

They arrived in front of Room 1011. It was on the first floor, a little ways into the back of the building.

"Here's your keys. Don't lose them, you'll have to pay a fortune to get them replaced." Kasamatsu handed him a card key and three keys joint by a round metal ring, two big ones and one small sized. "The card's for the front gate and back door, the rest are your room key, wardrobe key and a spare."

He nodded. "Thank you for accompanying me, Kasamatsu-senpai, Imayoshi-senpai."

"Your welcome. Enjoy your stay, Ogiwara." Kasamatsu said, smiling to him.

The two boys left him on his own, standing by the door of Kagami's room. Tetsuya tried to turn the knob, finding that the door wasn't locked. He opened it slowly and soundlessly, the room's lights were lit up, but the redhead wasn't inside. He noted the sound of running water coming from an attached bathroom, Kagami must be showering.

He looked around his new room meanwhile, the walls were painted in nude brown, there were built-in bunk beds with installed curtains, on the right side of the room, two standard-sized desks across from it, one sparse bookshelf stocked with Basketball magazines by the bed, two sets of built-in wardrobe on the other side of the room, across the entrance, and a bunch of weight training tools underneath the bottom bunk. A worn basket ball was lying immobile beneath one of the desks. Tetsuya assumed Kagami's bed was the bottom one, as it was left untidy, the sheets tangled and twisted, duvet seemingly kicked off on a whim.

Tetsuya was just standing by the door, unsure whether he should wait for Kagami, or go ahead and unpack. He chose the former. He dragged his suit case to the emptier desk, leaning it close to the table. And then he sat on the chair, waiting. It would be rude not to greet his 'senpai' first, as a freshman. Even if he was actually older, this job had just become even more demanding, now that Tetsuya thought about it. The pay was good, though, so he couldn't exactly complain. Akashi had always been fair when it came to compensating for his staff's troubles.

Besides, Tetsuya really came to genuinely like Kagami Taiga. He was surprised himself, to be so willing to protect a client — a feeling that went slightly beyond a professional demand. Kagami had treated him well, so far — well, towards his female counterpart. He might treat his male counterpart differently, but it mattered little.

This was a job and Kuroko Tetsuya was a professional. When the job demanded him to act and appear as a twenty year old female the student, he would become she, and if he was demanded to appear as an eighteen year old boy, he would become him. This was the livelihood he had chosen for himself, to be the shadow of the person who needed his protection. His job was to serve, plain and simple. He needed no hesitation.

A few minutes later, the bathroom's frosted glass door creaked open. The redhead stepped out, wearing a towel from waist down. His top body was still soaked, droplets of water trickling down his muscular body and dripped from strands of wet red hair. He had an amazing physique, tall and well-built, with skin the colour of warm caramel. Tetsuya almost forgot to warn the redhead of his presence, as Kagami strode out towards the built-in wardrobe casually. He opened the door, his broad back was displayed on plain view, humming to himself and picking for clothes.

Tetsuya didn't exactly know why he suddenly needed to swallow. He had to pause for a second to gather his wits. "Um, Kagami-ku — senpai. Kagami-senpai." He quickly corrected himself, clearing his throat a little loudly.

The redhead visibly jumped, then whipped around fast, eyes widened and mouth hung agape. "Wha!? Who the hell are you!? How the hell are you there!?" Kagami yelled out, looking more than adequately shocked by Tetsuya's seemingly sudden appearance. His back pressed against the wardrobe's doors, face blanched a deathly white as if he'd seen a ghost.

Oh, so Tetsuya hadn't lost his naturally weak presence.

"I've been here for a while now." He said, rising from his seat and bowing politely. "My name is Ogiwara Shiro, I'll be your roommate from now on, Kagami-senpai. I will be a bother, but I hope we get along."

"Oh, you're the new kid." Kagami stated, regaining his composure. He looked somewhat relieved, presumably because Tetsuya wasn't actually ghost. "Geez you could've said something! You scared me, bastard." He said, a hand went over his fringe. Tiny droplets of water flew off as he did so.

Tetsuya couldn't help but to laugh softly, amused. "I'm sorry, Kagami-senpai. I won't do it again."

"Huh, what's your name again? Shiro? Funny name." The redhead said, crossing his arms over his chest, looking at Tetsuya up and down. "Well, you're pretty pale. Guess your name suits you. You made me think you're a ghost or something — quit doing that, alright? If you do that, then we're cool."

Tetsuya nodded. "Of course, Kagami-senpai. May I unpack my things? I'd like to rest, it's been a long day."

"Sure. Make yourself at home, Shiro."

It looked Kagami was comfortable enough with using his alias' first name, Tetsuya thought. He felt like he was a dog, the way the name sounded. Tetsuya didn't really mind, he'd always loved dogs and animals, in general. He'd like to get a puppy someday, although it was difficult to keep a pet since he rarely went home due to his job as a bodyguard. He'd get one if he could. … maybe, he wouldn't name it Shiro, however.

Tetsuya grabbed the handle of his suitcase and dragged it all the way towards the wardrobe next to Kagami's. He used the small key he possessed, to unlock it. Kagami was pulling down a shirt over his head, already had his track pants on. He idly watched Tetsuya unpacked his suitcase, and started arranging his clothes into the new wardrobe, stacking them neatly.

"You look familiar," Kagami had commented. "have we met before?"

Tetsuya flinched. "… no, senpai. I believe this is the first time we meet."

Kagami made a noncommittal sound.

"Your eyes," He suddenly said, pausing. "Uh, no. Never mind." He rubbed his hair with a towel, draining the moisture into the soft cushiony fabric.

Tetsuya stopped and looked up at the redhead. "My eyes? Is there something wrong with them?" He asked.

"Nah. I just thought that they were really pretty." Kagami said easily, his face hidden beneath the towel he was using to scrub his hair, head ducked. He completely missed the way Tetsuya blushed at his casual compliment, the cool facade slipping off by a degree.

Somehow, Kagami made it difficult for Tetsuya to act professional. This fact endlessly troubled him.

—

TBC.

—


	3. To Be a Master of Disguise

A/N: Oh this poor *temporarily* abandoned work. I'm sorry, I just got too caught up with **BC**, I totally abandoned **SK**. (==;) But eh, I kind of need entertainment right now cos having cold is _boring_. I just gonna write whatever I want with this little baby … I'll be updating this whenever I feel like it, since it's my stress-reliever fic. No pressure or anything, okay. D: I'll try not to update _too_ irregularly. :x

—

**Stealth Kill**

—

Chapter 3: To Be a Master of Disguise

—

A girl at day, and a boy at night. Usually, such a double life was more familiar for people in specialised professions, such as an actor or a drag queen, definitely not a Bodyguard's specialisation. Yet Tetsuya had to be all three of them at once, and it wasn't exactly easy but he was adamant in fulfilling his job as a professional. However, if anyone dared to call him, a drag queen, he might have to use his Bodyguard's experience, expertise and his black belt status, to legally pulverise said person, into bits of fine dust particles.

Unfortunately, the message hadn't exactly been properly broadcasted due to the fact that Tetsuya looked effeminate and gentle. So one day, Aomine had once, crudely called Tetsuya by that title, as a joke, and the bruise on his co-worker's left side was still apparent even after several weeks.

It was simply a non-negotiable issue.

This job however, was a challenge of its own.

During a normal job, Tetsuya would only need one disguise. But now with two of them, he had to multi-task, between keeping Kagami blissfully oblivious, playing his roles convincingly, meanwhile protecting Kagami from the shadows and investigating the assault, all in secret. It had been taxing, to say the very least. Around two days into playing double-disguise, Tetsuya was about to be taken to a wholly unknown world, that was the college kids' lifestyle.

Two evenings into his role as Ogiwara Shiro, Koganei had burst into their room with a grand announcement, followed by a reluctant-looking taller boy who stood behind him. "Oy, Kagami! Let's party! We're having drinks tonight!"

"I beg your pardon? Whose welcoming party?"

Tetsuya had been the closest person to the entrance door and was folding his shirts on the wooden floor, when the duo suddenly barged in. Kagami was reading a magazine at the bottom bunk bed, briefly lifting his gaze due to the loud intrusion.

"Huh? Who're you? New Kid?" Koganei blinked at him, stepped into the room and leaned down to inspect him, a little too close for comfort. The quiet, tall boy behind him looked at Tetsuya apologetically, gently pulling back the excited boy away from him.

"He's my new roommate, Ogiwara Shiro. Shiro, they're our third year Seniors and my teammates in club, Koganei-senpai and Mitobe-senpai." Kagami nonchalantly introduced them, briefly, before resuming to read the magazine. "And, I'm not going. Thanks for the invitation."

Koganei sharply turned his attention and straightened his back, exclaiming in shock and disappointment. "But, Kagami! There's beer! And (maybe) girls!"

"Um, pleased to meet you, Koganei-senpai. Mitobe-senpai. You can call me Shiro." Koganei wasn't listening, but Mitobe nodded back to him, politely.

Kagami flipped a page. "Not interested."

Koganei pouted and crossed his arms over his chest petulantly. "Fine! I guess food and Kuroko-chan don't interest you either!"

Both Kagami and Tetsuya made sudden, choked noises at almost the same exact moment, only Tetsuya was able to hold back at the last split-second. Somehow it got stuck in his larynx instead, as if trapped in mid-sneeze. Wait, what now?Tetsuya honestly didn't remember ever agreeing to go to _any_ party.

It apparently had a huge impact in swaying Kagami's final decision.

"S-seriously? Kuroko will be there?" The magazine was complete forgotten on the mattress, and now the redhead's relaxed posture had turned eager; leaning forward with hands spreading over the mattress as if ready to pounce. His dull expression had lit up in a matter of seconds, crimson eyes set ablaze. Tetsuya was astounded at the sudden change of mood.

Koganei triumphantly huffed, hands in akimbo. "Well, I was just about to tell you the Welcoming Party's for the new club members, so obviously, our _beautiful_ new manager will be there! … _I think_. I have to contact Kise to ask if she can attend since I don't have her numbers yet, but I'm _pretty_ _sure_ she's gonna be there!"

That boy _seriously_ had to get his facts right; Tetsuya did _not_ do parties. He'd turned down Kise and Takao's offers for speed dating events and Karaoke parties more times than he'd been through different disguises over the years. Surely, Kagami wouldn't take the blatantly absurd bait seriously—

"Is - is that so? W - well, I guess I should go shower first… I'll be there, Koganei-senpai. Mitobe-senpai. You have my word." Kagami, for some reasons, solemnly promised, pointing an index finger at the two seniors, before withdrawing it, awkwardly.

He didn't even stop to think that maybe, _Kuroko-cha_n would refuse the invitation. Tetsuya wanted to facepalm, hard.

Koganei had shown the brightest grin he could muster. "Great! We'll meet at 8 P.M. at the gate's! … also, don't tell the Captain. We're having the party in _secret_. Otherwise, we can't stay out past ten! Ima-senpai said he's studying in his room right now, so we gotta be _extra_ careful."

"G - got it!" Kagami gave a shaky reply. He didn't seem overly confident about it.

Oh, Holy Mother. Tetsuya could barely keep up with these college kids.

Mitobe and Koganei cheerfully left the room soon after, like a storm that came and left at wilful convenience.

While Kagami went into the bathroom for a shower, Tetsuya checked the clock. 06:15 P.M., if he had to change disguises to make it in time, he'd better go to the apartment, _now_. Tetsuya grabbed his wallet, keys and phone, knocked on the bathroom frosted glass door to inform Kagami that he had to go out for a bit (which earned a grunt of a reply from Kagami), and rushed out of the room and dorm like bats out of hell.

He couldn't hail a taxi in the campus area, so Tetsuya had no choice but to _run_ for it.

The apartment was ten minutes walk from the East Gate of the Seidai University, but from the male dormitory that was located within the campus area, it was about twenty minutes. Tetsuya managed to cut the timeline into approximately twelve minutes. He was gasping for breath and sweating bullets by the time Kise opened the front door for him, startled by the sight of the mess.

"_Tetsucchi? _You look — Wait — yeah, Koganei-senpai, she just got home from her part-time job — " Kise was presently on a call with Koganei, holding his cellphone with one hand.

Tetsuya wordlessly walked past the blonde, grabbing a fistful of his black wig and pulling it off. He was still panting raggedly, shirt soaked through and felt gross. Kise closed the door and continued the chat, glancing at Tetsuya and talking on the phone. Tetsuya pulled the soaked shirt over his head and threw it to the nearby couch in the living room, along with the hair and the wig cap. His real hair must've looked like such an amazing mess. He turned to Kise, chest heaving up and down erratically.

"I'm going to shower. Get the disguise ready, Kise-kun." That was all he told the blonde, before he wordlessly went to the bathroom across the hallway.

His body was slim, decorated with lean muscles and was awfully pale, Tetsuya thought to himself after he'd taken off every article of clothing he had on him, staring at his reflection in the mirror. As he'd suspected, his hair resembled more like a cockatiel's rockstar mohawk than that of a normal human being's, though his usual morning bedhair was even more gravity-defying in comparison. His body was covered in sweat, ugh. Tetsuya shrugged and stepped into the shower, eager to be rid of the discomfort.

Kise had prepared a stock of similar-looking wigs for Tetsuya's female disguise, in case the extensions became a little too complicated for earliest convenience. Truthfully, wigs were better than hair extensions since they were easier to remove, especially to sleep at night. Tetsuya preferred it.

The living room of the apartment was turned into a makeshift dressing room, Tetsuya was sat down on the couch as Kise dried off his hair and put on a nude wig cap over his head, then prepped his face with skincare products for the makeup procedure. The blonde applied a mask sheet over his face for ten minutes, removed it and put on moisturiser, then spread Primer on top of it. "It's to make the product stay longer on your face, Tetsucchi!" Kise told him when he'd asked what the heck Primer was.

The information went into one ear and drifted out of the other. This was why Tetsuya needed Kise for his disguises.

It took about an hour and a half or so, for the makeup, wig and outfit. Tetsuya had specifically asked for clothing that would provide more mobility and function — and Kise had dressed him in dark jeans, white frilly blouse and jersey jacket — in which the jacket was actually Kagami's. He didn't mind the blouse and the puffy long sleeves, but the _ruffles _at the front of the blouse, collar and the cuffs. They tickled his chin and neck and hands. The fabric was satiny, light and nice to touch, but really, there were just too many _damn_ ruffles.

Tetsuya sighed, of course the blonde wouldn't give in that easily.

With all the über feminine clothes, Tetsuya always wondered to himself, whether Kise's type of girl was _this_ kind? Cute and elegant, sort of dignified and reserved. …but then again sometimes he suggested sexy clothes like camisoles, which was always an instant _no_ from Tetsuya. No matter how effeminate he looked, Tetsuya had no actual breasts, neither had he ever wanted them.

"You know. If you were a real girl, I'd totally ask you to date me, Tetsucchi." Kise remarked, as if he'd read his mind, brushing the wig carefully. "But you're a boy. I'm kind of more picky with guys, but I don't mind if you like me though! We get along and I like spending time with you. Yeah, I totally won't mind." He grinned, as if that was the most natural thing to say.

"I'm sorry, Kise-kun, I'm dating my job. Please talk to my boss if you'd like to turn in a proposal."

And that reply sounded a little too much like a workaholic's confession, Tetsuya realised too late.

Kise pouted. "That's not fun!"

It was 07:40 A.M., Tetsuya made it in time for the party. Really, this job was _very_ demanding. Tetsuya considered asking for a salary raise to Akashi, for a minute there.

"Hmmm, might look cuter with skirt and black tights," Kise shut his mouth when Tetsuya shot a heated glare at him.

The jacket provided enough warmth for him when they stepped out of the apartment, blocking the chilly wind with the thick woollen fabric and still smelling a lot like Kagami. It was too big and too long for him, but that was what made it cosier. He had to remember to return the jacket the next time they met at the party, now that he thought about it. But it was really warm and very comfortable on him, he was reluctant to return it.

Maybe he'd get one set as the manager? Tetsuya was a little hopeful.

"Koganei 'senpai' said to meet up at the front gate's at 8." Kise told him, reading the text on his phone screen out loud. He flipped it close and smiled at Tetsuya, offering his arm for him to hold on to. "Shall we go, Tetsucchi?"

Tetsuya took his arm, and nodded.

The sky was already dark, the street lights illuminated the pavement towards the campus. It was a chilly night, not too cold yet not warm at all; the wind was quite strong. Walking next to Kise whilst holding his arm like this, made it seem like they were a couple, mainly due to their height difference and Tetsuya's female disguise. Tetsuya had never been assigned to such a strange job like this, keeping secrets from the target and playing pretend childhood friends with Kise. And now they were going to a party with college kids. Life was odd.

There were already quite a number of people waiting at the front main gates of Seidai University; Koganei, Mitobe, Riko, Hyuuga, Kagami, then some other boys he didn't recognise. Tetsuya was surprised when he saw Kasamatsu and Imayoshi in the group. He'd thought Kasamatsu wasn't supposed to know about this party? He wondered if their plan was found out by the Captain, after all. Imayoshi was there too, although he wasn't a member of the basketball club, if he remembered correctly.

"Ah! Kuroko-chan! Kise! Here!" Koganei waved at them eagerly. Both him and Kise approached the group, he detached himself from the blonde to greet the others.

"Good evening, Koganei-senpai. And the rest of the seniors, too." Tetsuya greeted them, then he went to the redhead next to him. "Good evening, Kagami-kun." He smiled sweetly to the redhead, who murmured a good evening to him with a shy smile.

"You're wearing the jacket." He pointed out softly, blushing and scratching his head.

"Ah, yes. Would you like to take it back?" Though he didn't really want to part with the jacket, just yet.

Kagami shook his head. "Wear it, it's kinda cold tonight. You can return it later."

"Are you sure? Thank you, Kagami-kun. That's very kind of you." Tetsuya earnestly told him. Kagami only grinned.

In the mean time, pleasantries were being exchanged. Kise was mingling with the rest of the group, calling Tetsuya to approach him.

"Tetsucchi, come here!" He coaxed, and Tetsuya obliged, excusing himself to Kagami, who looked reluctant to let him go. Kise was talking to Riko and Hyuuga, something about his first day of being a manager. So far the club was inactive due to the Open House Week, so there hadn't been a proper practice schedule. Riko explained they would need to discuss about the schedules and duties later since Kise mentioned about Tetsuya's 'part-time job'. Tetsuya agreed to the suggestion.

"Oh, that's right. You haven't met the new members yet, right? As a manager, you should know everyone in the club. Not all of them's here though, only some, mostly those who live in the dorm or nearby campus. You'll meet the rest during practice." Riko said, sidestepping to show Tetsuya the boys he couldn't recognise. There were three of them. "They are Sakurai, Furihata and Nakamura. They're first and second years, just recently accepted to the team." She introduced them.

"H - hello, my name is Sakurai Ryou. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner, Ms. Manager!" A nervous boy greeted Tetsuya, followed by a deep, apologetic bow. Tetsuya blinked, a little confused.

"I'm Furihata Kouki. Nice to meet you, um, Kuroko-san, is it?" A kind looking boy with small eyes smiled and bowed to him.

"… I'm Nakamura Shinya."

The last one was a bespectacled tall boy who seemed quiet, disinterestedly staring at the nameplate of the University. The other two seemed adequately nice and well-mannered, although Sakurai looked a little too nervous and apologetic for no apparent reasons.

Tetsuya bowed politely to them. "Hello, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, I'm a transfer student and will be a new manager for the Bastketball club."

"Kise Ryouta. Also a transfer student, I'm a new member, too! Tetsucchi here's my childhood friend and housemate, ain't she a cutie?" Kise casually put an arm over Tetsuya's shoulder and laughed. The latter narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, annoyed. Sometimes Kise was too friendly in public — even when Tetsuya had gotten used to it, being Kise's co-worker and friend for years. It wasn't appropriate since Tetsuya was in female disguise now.

"Oh!" Furihata exclaimed, eyes widened in realisation. "Are you two dating?"

"They're _not_ dating!"

All of a sudden, Kagami appeared from behind them. Kise yelped and sidestepped, unintentionally withdrawing his arm in the impact of the shock. Tetsuya merely stared with widened eyes, he was surprised, although it didn't really show on the outside. Kagami caught him staring and he flushed at once, lowering his gaze towards the asphalt pavement. Everyone in the vicinity stopped talking and stared at the redhead.

"S - sorry. I didn't mean to, uh, what I mean is — I was just going to ask you about - about _something_. Uh, yeah, what was it again?" Kagami babbled on, incomprehensible, turning to face Tetsuya and effectively blocking Kise behind his back.

The blonde had looked somewhat amused, grinning. Actually, the rest of the seniors around them had similar looks on their faces, as if enlightened in understanding, whispering to each other and nodding like a bunch of wizened sages, or gossiping fishwives. The new members looked a tad confused with the turn of events. Kagami seemed oblivious to it, still stammering to come up with a plausible explanation.

It was getting _really_ awkward.

"Um, what is it, Kagami-kun? Do you have… something to show me?" Tetsuya decided it would be best to redirect the topic, taking a hold of Kagami's arm to guide him somewhere else the seniors' prying eyes couldn't see. "We can talk on our way to the venue? It's getting late." He nudged the topic out loud, meaningfully glancing at Riko and Hyuuga.

"Oh, right! We should go now, the restaurant's closing at eleven. Let's go, guys!" The female coach announced.

Most of them agreed, to Tetsuya's relief. Now that they were moving, there would be less stares and awkward silent, and more friendly normal talks. He wasn't sure about the latter, but it didn't matter. He had to focus on Kagami for now, he needed to stick to him and watch over him. Tetsuya glanced at Kise, who got his subtle message and went ahead to walk with Kasamatsu and Imayoshi, chatting with the Captain. Kagami and Tetsuya were behind the group, just the two of them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you like that." Kagami murmured grimly, looking guilty.

"You mean about Kise-kun? Well, it's true that we're not dating. He's sometimes too friendly and would do things like hug me without warning, but he doesn't mean any harm." Tetsuya reasoned gently. "Kagami-kun, did you realise I was feeling uncomfortable back then? Is that why you did that?" He asked, tilting his head.

Kagami flushed, he tugged up the neck of his varsity jacket to hide his face. "It's not just that," He murmured and looked down, then he blushed darker. "Y - your hand… "

"Oh," He just realised he was holding to Kagami's arm for a while now, quickly detaching the hold. "I'm sorry, do I make you uncomfortable?"

The redhead looked disappointed. "No. I mean, you can hold on to me if you want, you did that with Kise a - and stuff. I don't mind, really. We're f - friends." He bobbed his elbow up and down, like he was inviting him to hold on to it again. Kagami repeated the motion two or three more times, insistently, when Tetsuya had not taken the invitation quickly enough.

Tetsuya had found it hard to resist when Kagami had put it so adorably like that. He ended up tentatively holding the redhead's arm as they walked side by side. Their sides bumped closely, because it was getting colder and Kagami's body heat felt very nice. He wondered if they also looked like a couple, from a stranger's perspective? Kagami was taller than Kise. Tetsuya must look like a midget compared to him. His head barely reached the redhead's shoulder.

"You're wearing different shoes today." Kagami pointed out, glancing at the blue sneakers Tetsuya was wearing.

"Yes. I find them more comfortable and functional. I actually prefer it this way." Tetsuya replied. He'd ditched the painful high-heeled shoes and was now wearing his male counterpart's belongings. He was quite fond of Converse. "Now I don't have to worry about my ankles chafing. I'm wearing socks, too."

Kagami smiled.

"They look nice on you, Kuroko. Very c - c - c - cu - cute." The redhead cleared his throat, a little too loudly.

Tetsuya looked up to see Kagami had flushed to the tips of his ears, and he blushed at the sight as well, troubled by the sudden acceleration of his own heart. Suddenly, the hand that held Kagami's arm felt too warm, each finger brimmed with the intensity of the heat. He mutedly thanked the redhead for the compliment. Both of them fell quiet after that, enjoying the evening stroll in a comfortable silence.

The rest of the group seemed to pair up in two or three, he noticed. Riko with Hyuuga, Koganei with Mitobe, Kasamatsu and Imayoshi was joined by Kise earlier, and the other three new members walked together. Tetsuya and Kagami paired up as well, since the latter's opinion of Kise was unfriendly at most. He wondered why. Because Kise had let Tetsuya's feet be hurt the last time? … Or because Kagami was attracted to his female persona, thus disliked Kise because of it?

Tetsuya shrugged the thought. It didn't matter. In the end, it was all about the job. _This_ was temporary, it was never meant to be for long. Tetsuya would eventually finish the job, he'd leave the cover and wouldn't get to meet Kagami again. Once the redhead knew of his true male identity, he would change his opinion and this … momentary infatuation would be over. It had always been like that, a bodyguard's relationship with his client rarely became permanent.

However, it was difficult to dismiss his own growing fondness of Kagami. Tetsuya had to admit.

The Basketball team went to a Japanese restaurant near the train station, about fifteen minutes of walk from Seidai University's gates. The place was quite big and lively, the space was brimming with other students like them. White steams and delicious fragrance from the dishes filled the air thickly. It was very warm inside, so they took off their jackets before walking past the entrance. A waitress in traditional uniform guided them to an area in which there were a row of long square-shaped tables where they could sit all around it, on the tatami matting.

The team picked the furthest one by the corner. Tetsuya sat in between Kagami and Kise, Imayoshi and Kasamatsu sat next to the blonde, and so forth. The waiter brought them the menus, and each picked the dishes they wanted — everyone was shocked that Kagami ordered no less than ten different main dishes for himself alone, though the seniors seemed used to it. They stared at the redhead with a disbelieving look, shaking their heads.

Koganei was about to order some beers, before Kasamatsu interjected and cancelled the order.

"Ugh, this is why we shouldn't bring Captain along! What kind of rule is 'No Alcohol'? Boring!" Koganei pouted sulkily and threw his arms in the air in a show of disastisfaction.

Kasamatsu slammed a fist to the table until the surface shook, causing the unsuspecting new members to jump in their seats. "Huh!? What did you just say, Koganei? You want five laps around the campus by tomorrow morning, is it? Because I _didn't_ just hear you _complaining_, did I?" He fiercely asked with a demanding, authoritative tone, narrowing his eyes at the startled boy.

Koganei clung to Mitobe, shoulders quivering and face paling. The latter comforted him with a pat to the back and shook his head, quietly. Tetsuya, Kise and the new members were taken aback by the Captain's display of authority, as Kasamatsu had acted mostly aloof before.

Imayoshi _laughed_, he leaned towards Kise and Tetsuya's side and whispered to them.

"Yukio found out they were planning to have a party without him, from Riko. He's been stressed with studying lately, so he decided to crash the party! I'm just tagging along, to watch. It's amusing." He smirked, nudging up the bridge of his glasses and withdrawing to lean to the other senior. He draped an arm over Kasamatsu's shoulder. "Yukio, loosen up a little, would'ja? You're scaring the new kids."

"Shut it, Imayoshi. I need to discipline them from time to time. They get too cocky if I don't." He crossed his arms over the chest, huffing. "Anyone else's complaining? You're free to go, if you do."

The rest of them made unanimous grunts, none voiced one complain. Kagami just yawned and drunk a glass of water.

"Come on, you're too stiff." Imayoshi persuaded, still laughing. "Should I call Moriyama and Kobori? Might cheer you up a little."

"Don't bother, they're still at home. They'll be back to the dorms next week." Kasamatsu said, face sullen.

"Hmm, no wonder you're in bad mood. Ah well, maybe next time I'll invite more girls in. Koganei, you'd like that, won't you? Let's set up a meeting with the Voleyball girls next time. We can do Karaoke or movies."

Kasamatsu abruptly stiffened in his seat and went strangely quiet, his complexion inexplicably blanching. In the other hand, Koganei had completely recovered his vitality and pumped his fists as he shouted out his enthusiasm with Imayoshi's plans. The others didn't seem to share the same level of enthusiasm, however. Riko was visibly glaring at Hyuuga before the guy could say anything. Kagami looked disinterested. The rest of them just murmured incoherently amongst each other.

"Hey, you'll be a nice bait to catch the girls' attention. How's it? Interested?" Imayoshi turned to Kise, smirking. "Oh, I didn't catch your name, yet. I'm Imayoshi Shoichi, fourth year and Yukio's roommate of two years. I'm not from the Basketball club, just a tagalong." He held up a hand to the blonde.

"Kise Ryouta. Second year transfer student. And yes, please. I'm _very_ interested." Kise took the hand and firmly shook it, eyes gleaming mischievously. Both exchanged looks and were smiling to each other, sharing a wordless mutual consensus.

Tetsuya wanted to smack Kise and scold him to _focus_ on the job, but chose to reserve the action later when they were home. For now, he was giving Kise disapproving looks, though he was throughly ignored by the chatty blonde.

When the food came in, it became very lively. Everyone talked among themselves and had fun. Kagami's enormous appetite and the way he inhaled whole portions in a short time before he ordered more food, was baffling, the seniors laughed and told the new guys to get used to their Ace's quirks. The redhead shared some of his food with Tetsuya, although the latter couldn't really eat too much. They chatted pleasantly about a few things, including Tetsuya's new role as the manager and the upcoming club schedules.

"So, what's your favourite type of girl? I can introduce you to some. Think of it as an exchange for helping us, poor single guys. I can get you her numbers if you guys match up at the party." Imayoshi had offered Kise, flipping his cellphone open presumably to access his personal gallery of college girls' contact numbers.

"You shouldn't have, senpai! Actually, if I have a type … hmm, it'll be Tetsucchi, I guess. Cute, elegant and knows how to carry herself. I really like girls like that."

Apparently, this had cleared up Tetsuya's long-time suspicion. So when Kise tutored him with how to act and dress up like female in the beginning, he was actually turning Tetsuya into his very own favourite type of girl. The sneaky bastard.

Tetsuya suddenly felt exhausted, and a bit depressed.

"Huh, so you guys are dating? Sorry, I didn't know." From the corner of his eyes, Kagami had summarily _broke_ his chopstick into two, the remains hung uselessly in the tightened hold.

"Oh no, please don't misunderstand. We are definitely _not_ dating, we're only and specifically, friends. Kise-kun, please stop joking around." Tetsuya firmly and sharply dismissed the idea, appalled by the imagery.

"Aww, Tetsucchi, why? See, this is why my feelings are unrequited. Tetsucchi's such a tough girl! It's so hard to steal her heart away." The blonde made a show as if he'd been shot by an arrow to the heart and held his chest with both hands, fainting away due to an invisible force. The group laughed boomingly at his joke.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya quietly facepalmed.

"Um, Kagami-kun, when will your first official game be? I'd like to know." Tetsuya proceeded to try to disperse the tension made apparent by the redhead's stiffening posture.

It worked, Kagami's sullen face immediately brightened up by his question. He was so simple, Tetsuya thought. "Ah yeah, it's gonna be in two weeks. We're having a practice match with another university. Will you come watch?" He beamed, grinning widely.

"Of course, I will. I look forward to it." Tetsuya gave him an assuring smile, then the redhead blushed and awkwardly scratched his head.

"Oh yeah. The practice match with Ryuuoh Uni. I think your brother's gonna be there. Isn't that right, Kagami?" Koganei suddenly joined in, already a little bit drunk and giddy with the atmosphere.

Tetsuya quirked an eyebrow at that. Kagami Taiga was supposedly an only child, who was this 'brother' Koganei meant? There was no such mention in the profile data, he was sure of it, because he'd read it so many times. Kagami Taiga was definitely an only child.

"You have a brother?" He couldn't resist to ask.

Even more curious, Kagami's posture grew stiff again and his expression hardened. "Not … not biological brother, no. He was, um, my best friend back when we were in the States. He's older than me, so we naturally thought of each other as siblings. We … used to play Basketball together under the same teacher." 'was best friend' were the key words, Tetsuya realised. Something happened between them to change that, then.

"Oh, I see. Please, don't mind me." He didn't pursue the topic further, as Kagami was clearly uncomfortable talking about it. The redhead had looked surprised that Tetsuya opted not to ask anymore, his expression softened and the creases between his eyebrows went away.

Kagami leaned down a little too close to Tetsuya's ear and whispered. "Thanks, Kuroko." Then he withdrew, smiling.

The ear he whispered to, felt like it had been burnt.

The dinner was over at exactly 10 P.M., because Kasamatsu had switched gears into his Dorm Leader role and commanded everyone to finish up before it got too late, they had to man the booth tomorrow too, to look for more new members for the team. Kise and Tetsuya excused themselves earlier because Tetsuya needed to clean up his makeup and take off his disguise to become Ogiwara Shiro again. He had to go back to the dorm as soon as possible. Kagami had sweetly bade him goodnight, which Tetsuya returned, before they had to hurry back to the apartment.

They hailed a cab and in under five minutes, they were back at home.

After the door was closed, Tetsuya practically tore the wig off of his head, unbuttoned the blouse and peeled off the jeans on his way into the hallway. Kise picked up what he left behind on the floor as he dashed towards the bathroom, still clad in corset, nude shapewear shorts and silicone paddings.

It really took forever to get out of all the _things_ attached to his body. Tetsuya wanted to weep in frustration.

In the bathroom, Tetsuya took off the corset, paddings and shorts, he was hissing as he removed the fake eyelash, and sighing in relief by the end of it, only to repeat the removal process for the other eye. He washed off the makeup (thankfully it wasn't that thick) with liquid facial soap Kise had prepared near the sink, finally relieved from the burden of the disguise completely. He still had to put on male clothes and the wig, then go back to the dorm, quickly. It was already past the curfew — he had to enter from the back door.

In a blur of hurry, he dashed out of the bathroom, put on the shirt Kise provided him and pulled up the jeans he wore the last time, meanwhile the blonde cleaned up the traces of makeup still left on his face, with wet cotton balls. They put a cap on his head, then the wig— a little messier than he'd anticipated, but he could tidy up later. Tetsuya grabbed the phone, wallet and dorm keys he left in the living room, then said goodbye to Kise, the latter waved at him and told him good luck at the threshold of their flat.

He didn't run this time, but was still sort of sweaty and bone-tired, when he reached the backdoor of the dorm building.

Kagami was already inside the room when he stepped in.

"Hey Shiro, where have you been?" Kagami greeted. He'd changed his clothes to the usual shorts and sleeveless shirt, and was now curling barbells, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I - I got caught up with my friends. Sorry, I'm late." It wasn't a lie. He was with the basketball team, having dinner. Slowly breathing in and out, Tetsuya pulled the chair of his desk and flopped down, feeling the exhaustion creeping in from the back of his mind. He felt sore too, limbs sluggish from the run.

"Don't mind it, we came back late too. Good thing Captain — I mean, Dorm Chief's with us. We got away with it. Can't exactly be sneaky with so many guys around." Tetsuya raised his eyebrows. They actually called Kasamatsu 'Dorm Chief'? He supposed the boy's spartan way of leading sort of warranted such a title.

"That's great, Kagami-senpai. Did you have fun?" It was a rhetorical question, to be polite.

Kagami was a little quiet.

"Yeah, I had fun." He uttered, somewhat mutedly. He fell silent again, curling the iron a few more times, before stopping completely.

"So… Shiro. Ignore me if you think this is a weird question…" He bent his back and lowered the heavy-looking barbells to the floor. They hit the wooden surface with small thuds. Instead of continuing his sentence, however, Kagami looked away and scratched the back of his head, seemingly hesitant. Tetsuya tilted his head and waited.

The redhead cleared his throat, then looked at Tetsuya with his fingers laced over his knees aloofly. He had a completely serious expression on his face, thick eyebrows knitted together. "Do you - do you think, 'love at first sight' is a real thing?" He asked.

If Tetsuya had been drinking water, he'd choke and spurt out the liquid from his mouth, in a comical manner. But because he wasn't drinking anything in particular, he opted to stare and gape, instead. The implication of the question hadn't sunk into his head yet, or maybe he didn't want it to.

"Uh, what do you mean, Senpai? I don't really … understand …" And hopefully, it wasn't about what he thought it was.

Kagami blushed a deep crimson. "Y - you know! I mean, have you had girlfriends before!? Huh!?" He became defensive and a little too aggressive about it.

"I did have … girlfriends, before."

That wasn't a lie, either. Tetsuya had dated exactly two people back in the Academy and after he graduated, during his short-lived policeman career, with a co-worker. Both didn't work out. But he did have some experience in the field.

"Oh. Wow. I didn't think the answer's gonna be positive." Kagami scratched his neck. Well, that was a little rude, Tetsuya thought. "No, actually, that's _great_! That means, you're pretty experienced about this thing, right?" Out of the blue, Kagami had looked like a brilliant idea struck him from the heavens above, yet Tetsuya had a bad feeling about this.

"So, anyway, what I mean is, uh." He cleared his throat again, for the umpteenth time. "There's this girl … her name is Kuroko. She's very - _very_. You know. Nice, cute. Graceful. She's into Basketball, too. Not superficially, she really knows about my plays." His lips kept twitching like he couldn't help but to smile.

Oh, Jesus Christ. Did he really have to bust into this topic, _now_? Tetsuya was still dizzy with all the changes in disguises and personality swaps, he only had half a brain left to function as Ogiwara Shiro, and he had to deal with this tricky situation.

"I … I think I like her." Kagami concluded the point of the conversation, tardily. "She has the most beautiful eyes … clear blue, like the sunny sky or the ocean. I can stare at them for hours. She's also cute, but there's something about her that's so… fascinating. She's so different from all the girls I've met. This is really damn weird, I mean we've only met for a few days, and I'm — "

Tetsuya was now fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat.

" — I'm really, into her. Actually I never - never dated before, so I don't really know what I should do." He fiddled with his thumbs, flushing quietly and staring at the floor. "What do you think, Shiro?" He looked up, red eyes glimmering in expectation.

Kagami really needed to stop looking at him like that — it inexplicably made Tetsuya nervous.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Kagami-senpai." He answered vaguely, then avoided the redhead's gaze. This was getting too far from his comfort zone.

"Well, you dated before. What do you think I should do to … to make her — to make Kuroko, like me?" He stuttered, red to the ears and down his neck. Tetsuya was desperately fighting off the heat that was rushing up to his own cheeks. It was a good thing the wig's front fringe was long enough to partially hide his face — otherwise, it'd be too obvious.

"I - I suppose, you should ask her to go out on a date? Like, shopping?" As soon as the answer flew from his mouth, Tetsuya deeply regretted it, because Kagami had perked up and rose from the bed, his eyes looked at him excitedly like a child's.

"D - do you think she'll like it?" He asked, tone of voice rose to a higher pitch.

Tetsuya wanted to tell him, that Kagami didn't really have to do anything, because Tetsuya already — he stopped that line of thought, suddenly struck with a sense of uncertainty and confusion. What was he thinking? He didn't know the exact word he'd finish that sentence with, and he didn't want to know either.

"Girls like … shopping." There, another vague answer. Tetsuya should stop talking altogether, for god's sake.

"I'll note that. I um, I'm not really confident yet, so maybe I'll try to get to know her better - what she likes and such, then - then I'll ask her out." In the other hand, Kagami had looked inspired and pumped, balled fists thrust up in the air. Then he turned to Tetsuya, grinning toothily. "Thanks a lot, Shiro! I'm glad I asked you about this!"

"Your welcome, Senpai." Tetsuya replied, even more depressed.

Now Tetsuya had to anticipate a possible date invitation from the redhead in the near future, and how the heck should he deal with _that_? He needed to - to call Kise. He had to talk to someone about _this_. Though he was sure the blonde would cackle, shake his head and triumphantly say, "I told you so, Tetsucchi!"

After the thoroughly gruelling conversation, Tetsuya excused himself to go to bed, because he was exhausted by all the excitement of the evening. He needed to rest, badly. Kagami left him alone after that, he was glad the talk about the _girl_ _Kuroko_ had come to an end, at least for the night.

As he was snuggling to the pillow, Tetsuya remembered what he'd learned from the party; Kagami's official first game was in the next two weeks. He couldn't shake the suspicion that something might happen, now that the redhead's injury was healed up and he could play again. He'd have to focus and pay attention to Kagami's wellbeing.

He also mentally noted to investigate this … 'brother' of Kagami's everyone spoke of, later. Tetsuya had a nagging feeling that he might learn something more about the random street assault, when he did.

—

TBC

—

A/N: Oh god, this is the most relaxing writing I've done in a long time! Fluffy stuff rock my world. Will write moar ~ delicious disguises and character interactions cos I need my adorable Seirin - Kaijo - Shuutoku - Touou and other team members, in the mix!


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